In this performance, the artist recites historical newspaper ads selling enslaved black people in Spain and its colonies. The piece aims to spotlight shared experiences of identity, race, and belonging through a collective memory exercise. The artist wears a dress resembling a gypsy-flamenco style, made of "African wax fabric" and symbolizing the Spanish flag. The dress is printed with Shell’s logo, highlighting the company’s human rights violations in the Niger Delta. During the performance, the artist drinks palm oil, symbolizing the purification and healing of this liquid often refered in African spiritualities as "plant blood". The title Bayam Sellam references Cameroonian women who buy food in rural areas to resell in big cities. This work honors victims of the slave trade and examines the role of memory in the construction of identity.

Bayam Sellam was the opening performance for Visión y Presencia 2023, curated by Semíramis González in Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum. Images: Laura C. Vela.