Steven Cohen Eats Partner's Ashes in Danae Festival Ritual

South African queer visual and performance artist Steven Cohen (Johannesburg, 1962) performed 'Put Your Heart Under Your Feet… And Walk!' at the Danae Festival in Milan, 2018. The piece, dedicated to his recently deceased partner Elu Kieser, involved walking on stilts shaped like a child's coffin, videos of himself rolling in a slaughterhouse, and culminated in Cohen consuming a spoonful of Elu's ashes. Cohen described the act as a ritual rather than a spectacle, stating it was the hardest action of his life, more intense than drinking poison, and an intimate union beyond sex. He emphasized that the work was not inspired by any external culture practicing endocannibalism, such as the Yanomami, but was his animalistic response to an unbearable loss, covered with the veil of contemporary art. Cohen does not read criticism or grant interviews about this work, but made an exception for Artribune due to his love for Italy and Milan. He considers the performance a leap into the void, leaving its meaning to the audience while keeping only the sensation for himself. The interview was conducted by Artribune, an Italian art publication.