‫منى حاطوم‬

Mona Hatoum Born in 1952 in Beirut. Lives and works in London and Berlin. Née en 1952 à Beyrouth. Vit et travaille à Londres et Berlin.

.‫ تقيم وتعمل في لندن وبرلين‬.‫ في بيروت‬١٩٥٢ ‫ولدت عام‬

Case, 2006, compressed card, metal, fabric and plastic buttons, 35 x 60 x 45 cm Photo Stephen White Courtesy White Cube

Baluchi (blue and orange) 2008 Baluchi (blue and orange) is part of an ongoing series of sculptures that depict maps on traditional oriental carpets. Hatoum frequently adopts found objects in her work, poetically transforming them into destabilised and unfamiliar signifiers. Baluchi (blue and orange) depicts a map of the world but not one that most viewers are familiar with since the map used here is the ‘Peters’ projection’, a representation of land mass in true proportion, as opposed to its more usual visualisation from a dominant, Northerly perspective. The image of the map exploits a positive-negative reversal with the land mass shown as recessed, negative space, created by carefully removing areas of pile. The carpet appears like it has been motheaten or worn away and the image of the world seems to dissolve and reconnect before our gaze alluding to the precarious and fluid nature of boundaries – whether geographical, social or psychological.

Baluchi (blue and orange) 2008 wool 135 x 240 cm Photo Agostino Osio Courtesy Fondazione Querini Stampalia, Venice

Green Chair Green Chair

006

2006

his sculpture made was during a during a Thiswas sculpture made sidency inresidency Cairo inin2006, Cairo where in 2006, where Hatoum found worn out green chair. atoum found this worn outthis green chair. Hatoum often employs readymades in atoum often employs readymades in heras work, such that as furniture er work, such furniture evokes that evokes history of usedomestic or other domestic history ofa use or other items like cages, textiles or kitchen ems like cages, textiles or kitchen implements whicheveryday symbolise everyday mplements which symbolise lives and In she this case, she es and routines. In routines. this case, signs wear that were dded to theadded signs toof the wear thatofwere already onsurface the chair’s surface ready inscribed on inscribed the chair’s covering a small y covering by a small section of itssection seat of its seat and one of its legs with nd one of its legs with delicate, tinydelicate, tiny holes.inspection, On close inspection, the ore holes. bore On close the chair appears to be dissolving, its solid hair appears to be dissolving, its solid surface and rigid form invaded by some urface and rigid form invaded by some kind of woodworm or pest. nd of woodworm or pest.

Green Chair 2006 wood 82 x 38 x 46 cm Photo Daina Moussa Courtesy Townhouse, Cairo

se

6

Case 2006

presents a moment suspended me, using found materials that Caseexistence. presents Hatoum a moment suspended e a peripatetic time, using found alludes tointhemes of travel andmaterials that evoke existence. Hatoum ement in her worka –peripatetic both in terms to themes ctual traveloften and alludes migration in the of travel and work – both in terms d but also tomovement the fluidityinofher meaning, of From actualRoutes travel and migration in the bol and form. (works worldairline but also to the fluidity of meaning, aper that use route maps symbol and form. From n from onboard magazines) toRoutes (works on paper that use airline ptures such as Traffic (consisting route maps taken from onboard magazines) to o old leather suitcases connected sculptures such as Traffic (consisting her by a swathe of human hair), of two old leather suitcases connected ns of fixity are questioned. In together by a swathe of human hair), sculpture,notions a found, battered of fixity are questioned. In board case left half-open to thisis sculpture, a found, battered al its contents of colourful clothes cardboard case is left half-open to have beenreveal haphazardly stuffed its contents of colourful clothes d left permanently a state of that have inbeen haphazardly stuffed ted motioninbyand their to in a state of leftconnection permanently ection of colourful arrestedplastic motionbuttons, by their connection to onto the aoutside case surface.plastic buttons, collection of colourful esting absence, or the a recently sewn onto outside case surface. Suggesting rted human presence,absence, the workor a recently human presence, the work s to ideasdeparted of displacement and points totoideas of displacement and upture, connected the need or dis-rupture, connected to the need or sure to constantly move on. pressure to constantly move on.

TextsBradley by Alexandra Bradley s by Alexandra

Case 2006 compressed card, metal, fabric and plastic buttons 35 x 60 x 45 cm Photo Stephen White Courtesy White Cube

Mona Hatoum’s sculptural interventions disrupt our notion of the familiar by creating a visual language where everyday objects seem to reveal unexpected hidden meanings, therefore challenging the common assumptions and comfort zone of the viewer. Hatoum’s artistic practice has long referenced political subjects, especially those concerned with conflict, subjugation and displacement. She has created potent artworks that juxtapose violent gestures or the irregular with unassuming ordinary household “readymades.” Baluchi (blue and orange) (2008), Green Chair (2006), and Case (2006), exemplify this: by manipulating these common objects, the artist leads us to question our perception of them and the world around us. Case, for example, produced in 2006, highlights the plight of migration, an issue that remains relevant amidst the current contexts of a global migration crisis.

Les interventions sculpturales de Mona Hatoum remettent en jeu les définitions du familier et de l’étrange, créant un vocabulaire visuel dans lequel les choses banales révèlent des sens cachés et inattendus. En abordant des questions liées à l’identité, la migration, le genre, le colonialisme et la politique, l’artiste ébranle les préjugés communs et les terrains connus du regardeur. La pratique artistique de Hatoum a souvent traité de sujets politiques, concernant particulièrement la violence, la soumission et le déplacement. Elle a créé des œuvres d’une grande puissance qui juxtaposent les gestes violents ou inhabituels, mais aussi des ready-mades du quotidien ordinaire. Baluchi (blue and orange), Green Chair, et Case sont caractéristiques puisqu’en manipulant des objets communs, l’artiste nous oblige à en questionner notre perception et leurs signifiants culturels. Case fut réalisé en 2006, et souligne la situation critique de la migration. Le sujet demeure d’actualité au regard des contextes actuels de crise migratoire internationale. En déplaçant leur fonction et en y incorporant de nouvelles allusions sémantiques, Hatoum dévoile les stratégies de reconnaissance collective et nous invite à reconsidérer la manière dont nous structurons nos connaissances.

‫مداخالت‬

‫النحتيه تربك مفهومنا‬ ‫منى حاطوم‬ ّ

‫للمألوف عن طريق خلق لغة بصرية‬ ‫تبرز معاني خفية ومفاجئة في‬

‫األغراض واألدوات اليومية متحدية‬

‫بذلك االفتراضات العامة وما هو‬ ‫ مسيرة‬.‫طبيعي لدى المشاهد‬

‫منى حاطوم الفنية لطالما كانت‬

‫ وخاصة فيما‬،‫ذات مرجعية سياسية‬

.‫يتعلق بالصراع واإلخضاع والتهجير‬ ‫قامت الفنانة بخلق أعمال قوية‬

‫تتباين بها اإليحاءات العنيفة أو ما‬

‫هو نشاز مع األغراض المنزلية البريئة‬ »‫ «بلوشي‬.»‫الـ «مسبوقة الصنع‬

‫) و»كرسي‬٢٠٠٨()‫(أزرق وبرتقالي‬

)٢٠٠٦( »‫) و»صندوق‬٢٠٠٦( »‫أخضر‬ ‫ تمكُّ ن الفنانة من‬:‫يمثلون التالي‬

‫خالل تالعبها بتلك المستلزمات‬

‫اليومية بإرشادنا إلى إعادة النظر‬

‫ على‬.‫فيهم وفي العالم من حولنا‬

‫ وهو عمل‬،»‫سبيل المثال «صندوق‬

‫ يبرز لنا مشاق‬٢٠٠٦ ‫تم إنتاجه سنة‬

‫ موضوع ال يزال‬،‫ومصاعب الهجرة‬

‫ذو أهمية في يومنا هذا في سياق‬ .‫أزمة الهجرة العالمية‬

Baluchi (blue and orange), 2008, wool, 135 x 240 cm Green Chair, 2006, wood, 82 x 38 x 46 cm

Case, 2006, compressed card, metal, fabric and plastic buttons, 35 x 60 x 45 cm Marrakech Biennale Association C/O 7, rue de la liberté, 40000 Guéliz, Marrakech - MAROC Tél. : +212 (0) 661 13 18 08 [email protected] www.marrakechbiennale.org facebook # marrakechbiennale