the politics of home

Known for her politically charged works that deal with home, exile and the human body, Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum is experiencing a re-awakening of interest in her native Middle East, following a successful career in Western circles. A new exhibition at Jordan’s Darat Al-Funun brings her intense, questioning and probing works to a new audience; an audience more open and capable of understanding her work than ever before.

This page: Misbah’. 2006-2007. Brass lantern, metal chain, light bulb and rotating electric motor. Dimensions of lantern: 56 x 32 x 28.5 cm. Photograph by Marc Domage. Courtesy of Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris.

TEXT BY SAMAH HIJAWI PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF THE ARTIST

n the context of Amman’s growing visual arts scene, Darat Al-Funun -the Khalid Shoman Foundation is taking the lead in putting together shows that push the boundaries and expectations of artists and audiences alike. Maintaining a measured focus on keeping arts enthusiasts upto-date with the movements of today’s art world, the Foundation pays particular attention to Contemporary artists from the Arab world. In line with a diverse yearly cultural agenda comprised of exhibitions and workshops, Darat Al-Funun is starting its autumn 2008 season in October with one of the Middle East’s most successful international artists -Mona Hatoum. A name that speaks for itself on the international Contemporary arts scene is exciting news for Jordan, yet,

surprisingly, it seems that Palestinian Hatoum’s presence in the region may not equal the attention her name receives on the global stage. In fact, Hatoum’s activities in the region have been rather limited and include her 1996 solo show at Jerusalem’s Gallery Anadiel and a 2006 show at Cairo's Townhouse Gallery (part of ‘Kairotic’, an exhibition with three artists in the three separate spaces of the gallery). In addition, her works have been on show at the Cairo and Sharjah Biennials in 1998 and 2007 respectively, as well as the Ayloul Festival in Beirut in 2000, alongside screenings of her videos in festivals throughout the region. In Jordan, Hatoum’s works are not familiar to the public, although one of her video works, ‘So Much I Want To Say’ (1996), was screened as part of a

show of the Darat Al-Funun’s collection in 2005. This October marks the first solo show of the artist’s work in Jordan.

Darat Al-Funun founder, Suha Shoman, explains that this upcoming exhibition is not only important on a national level, but on a regional one as well, saying, “we have been working towards this exhibition for a long time now, almost 10 years until the dates and the timing worked... a show for Mona Hatoum is a must.” This is in line with the Foundation’s goal to enhance cultural exchange by showing artists that are, “major

contributors in Contemporary arts in

Facing page: ‘Hanging Garden’.

2008. Jute bags, earth and grass. the Arab and international worlds.”

Dimensions variable. Photograph by Marc Domage. Courtesy of

Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris. Hatoum’s work is very much

Above:

grounded in the materials and

Left: ‘Keffieh’. 1993-1999. Human hair on cotton fabric. 120 x 120 cm.

Photograph by Kleinefenn. Courtesy objects she encounters, resulting

of Galerie Chantal Crousel, Paris. Right: ‘Round and Round’. 2007.

Bronze. 61 x 33 x 33 cm. Photograph in a vast repertoire including video, by Jason Mandella. Courtesy of Alexander and Bonin, New York.

performance, installation and sculpture. Investigating ideas that revolve around the body, human entrapment, dislocation and exile, Hatoum also deals with the concept of home. This theme is probed through her 2005 work, ‘Mobile Home’, which incorporates several household objects such as a chair, table, suitcases, a toy truck and items on several washing-lines. The objects are held by wires that move them back and forth between two imposing street barriers. The comforting familiarity of objects one would much rather see firmly anchored to the ground is lost in their slow, deliberate movements, resulting in an eerie sensation of instability.

In other works the materials sometimes poke fun at the viewer, as in the 2006-2007 ‘Nature Morte aux Grenades’. Beckoning the audience with its cheerful colours and shiny surfaces, one only realises upon closer inspection that they present the opposite of what they seem, the happy colours in

preview

fact belong to a table-full of crystal grenades. The themes and issues presented through Hatoum’s works have been an ever-present reality in the Arab world, either as firsthand encounters and stories, or as slightly distant screams, arguments and longwinded debates in the media. Yet, her work presents the very essence of some of these issues in an acutely intimate experience, combining a mental, and sometimes even a subtle physical, sensation.

Despite trying to avoid looking at the artist’s work from only one perspective,

mixture of old and new. Hatoum elaborates, “I usually try to choose works that have an interesting dialogue or some connection between them... the nature of the gallery space and the context are of course important and are often the starting point.” The works chosen include ‘Misbah’ (2006-2007), ‘Measures of Distance’ (1988) and ‘Round and Round’ (2007), all which are part of the Foundation’s collection. Others include the now instantly recognisable ‘Keffieh’ (1993-1999), which was most recently on display at the Parisian Galerie Chantal Crousel during

Art Basel 39. “(I) want to

and therein linking it to

show the Keffieh which is

certain reference points,

embroidered with human

one cannot help asking:

hair because it is a work

given that Hatoum has

I really like and because

been residing in Europe

it is of course very

for over three decades,

relevant to the context

does that context play

[of the exhibition],” adds

a particular significance

Hatoum. Other ideas

or importance in her

will be realised during

forthcoming exhibition?

her residency, such as

“Showing in Amman has

works in clay which the

a different significance...

artist would like to create

because I am working in

a context that I identify with culturally, therefore I hope that people will feel closer to the work and to what it is I am trying to convey,” explains Hatoum. On the one hand, Hatoum’s work contains a universality, through her questioning of themes and issues common to all human experience and understanding, while on the other hand, a solo exhibition in Jordan also opens the door for new interpretations, contexts and audiences. In fact, many will probably have firsthand experience and understanding of the issues presented in her work.

For this exhibition, a dialogue will be created between works that are already part of the Khalid Shoman Private Collection and others that will be flown in for the

Untitled. 2005. Tissue

show. Together with new works created through

paper. 38.1 x 44.5 x 2.8 cm. Photograph by Stephen White.

her residency period at Darat Al-Funun, these

Courtesy of White Cube, London.

pieces come together to create an interesting

in collaboration with El-Amir, a local ceramics workshop in Iraq.

This residency, taking place one month prior to the exhibition, is part of the process in which Hatoum develops new works towards a show. In conversation, she explains a little bit about her practice and the role of context and material in her work: “Although the context may be the starting point that inspires the ideas... The way I work is much more abstract; I try to convey things through the use of materials and form, and any content is referred to in an oblique way and remains open ended.”

Mona Hatoum will exhibit at Darat Al-Funun from 11 October -22 January 2009. For more information visit www.daratalfunun.org