Modern Art Oxford presents a solo exhibition of works by renowned Lebanese artist Akram Zaatari (b. 1966, Saida, Lebanon). This thought-provoking show explores Zaatari’s on-going fascination with how people choose to present themselves to the outside world.
A major new video work, The Script (2018) was born out of research into online content connected with the Arab world. Exploring YouTube using relatively neutral search terms such as ‘father and son’, Zaatari discovered a sub-genre of films depicting fathers praying. Despite being produced by different men from different regions in the Middle East, Zaatari observed telling similarities in content depicting men fulfilling the duty of salah – the ritual of five daily prayers undertaken by practicing Muslims – within a domestic setting. As breaking off from prayer is often frowned upon, the fathers intently continue praying despite their children’s mischievous attempts to distract them. In The Script, Zaatari has distilled these moments into a filmed re-enactment paying homage to this dual commitment to faith and fatherhood. What strikes the viewer is that such tender scenes portraying acts of Muslim faith are rarely seen in the Western media’s representation of the Arab world. The Script questions whether the proactive sharing of these typically private moments represents individual attempts to redress the negative view of Islam that has prevailed in recent times.
HD video, color, stereo, 7 min
The four-channel installation Dance to the End of Love (2011) also explores Arab male identity through a montage of clips uploaded to YouTube by men in Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Also revealing a commonality of content across generations and borders, Zaatari’s montage depicts men behaving in ways that exaggerate their masculinity. They flex muscles, perform perilous car stunts and fire guns flippantly. In contrast, the work also includes moving demonstrations of male friendships. In selecting this content, Zaatari prompts timely consideration of the collective imagination of young Arab men.
4-channel SD video, color, sound, dimensions variable
Also on show is a photo-transfer installation devised onsite at Modern Art Oxford by Zaatari that extends his on-going Studio Practices series: an archive of photographs documenting the local people of Zaatari’s hometown of Saida. These photographs were taken by Hashem el Madani at his popular commercial photography studio, Studio Shehrazade, between the 1950s and 1970s when few households had their own camera. As with other exhibited works, the sitters have chosen to construct an image. The ‘theatrical’ poses they adopt and the symbols they have chosen offer a revealing insight into their aspirations and the societal norms of their time. The photographs are also a telling reminder that although methods of self-representation may have moved on dramatically from photographic studio portraits to selfies and YouTube clips, the human desire to manufacture one’s own image transcends borders, faiths and generations.
print on plaster wall, various dimensions
The Script by Akram Zaatari is a touring exhibition by New Art Exchange, Nottingham, in partnership with Turner Contemporary and Modern Art Oxford. Supported by Thomas Dane Gallery, and Arts Council England. Curated by Melanie Kidd.
Photo: Ben Westoby © Modern Art Oxford