Marwan Rechmaoui – Chasing the Sun
MARWAN RECHMAOUI
Chasing the Sun
6 Feb – 26 April
Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg
Exhibitions
hamburg
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Marwan Rechmaoui is a conceptual sculptor who works with concrete, metal, rubber and wax. Continuing his inquiry into the socio-geographies of Arab cities, Rechmaoui introduces a fresh body of work centered around the concept of play. Musing down memory lane, he examines the streets of Beirut through the lens of childhood games, prompting in the process multifold questions about the influence of toys on shaping societies.
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Reviving these pastimes, Rechmaoui presents here a kite, a slingshot, a wooden cart, or a sandbox with a throwing knife. The innocuous feel of these playful installations is reinforced by poetic representations of pine trees, cotton candy, ice cream sticks, sheep, stars, moons, suns or a rainbow, made with molten beeswax mixed with pigments, and embedded in concrete. These bucolic works act with a very direct expression, using intense primary colours and clear simple shapes. Ignoring perspective, they embrace an aesthetic of emotional immediacy—an unfiltered, instinctive rendering of what is perceived, rather than reality itself, much like children’s drawings.
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Beneath this seemingly joyful atmosphere, Rechmaoui’s works propose a deeper social commentary inspired by Roland Barthes’ essay “Toys”, in which the author argues that toys are essentially a microcosm of the adult world. In other words, childhood play shapes adult identity. In this most recent series, Rechmaoui reflects on his own upbringing, and while he chases back these moments of untainted joy from his youth, he also draws connections between war and play. Suggesting that every game, by designating winners and losers, represents a form of symbolic killing of the latter, he presents several that harbor seeds of violence.
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Growing up, the artist and his playmates often found themselves navigating strict social hierarchies in their miniature worlds. The possession of a coveted toy (a ball, a bicycle, or even the inflatable tube of a tire used to float on water for example) placed one at the apex of the social order. Those displaying exceptional speed, strength, or intellect also ascended the hierarchy. This enduring culture of competition ingrained in childhood experiences persists today, despite the evolution of games in the digital age, and still translates into our stratified societies. In a similar vein, the use of wax in the artworks, paired with the oversized sun radiating dancing rays, vividly evokes the myth of Icarus.
Through the universal language of innocent games, Rechmaoui proposes a playful exhibition that offers a new perspective on power dynamics. It invites viewers to reminisce about their own early memories, but to also reconsider the intersection of childhood ingenuity and societal complexity.
ETEL ADNAN
Zum Hundertsten
6 Feb – 26 April
Sfeir-Semler Gallery Hamburg
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Etel Adnan would have turned 100 on 24 February 2025. To mark this milestone, we are honored to celebrate her life and work with the solo exhibition Zum Hundertsten, opening on 6 February at 6 pm in our Hamburg gallery.
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