Last week I visited Out of Kuwait: Landscapes Expanded exhibition that was, and still is being held, at the Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is organized by the British Council, the Contemporary Art Platform (CAP), and the National Council of Culture, Arts and Letters. It showcases works of twelve Kuwait-based artists who have examined and reinterpreted the theme of landscape art during a one month artist residency program called Landscapes Expanded, and it presents the artists’ analysis of their everyday surroundings and comments on the social, political, and physical landscapes of modern Kuwait.
One of my favorite pieces on display was the installation created by architect Abdulaziz Al Humaidi where he used plastic toy cars to recreate the pattern of a Sadu textile. According to the architect, the installation is not only to illustrate the undeniable impact of privately owned cars on Kuwaiti society, but to also present the car culture as symbolic of larger social, economic, and political challenges faced by modern Kuwait as a nation. My friend saw this piece on the day of the opening and she's convinced that what I saw is slightly different than what it originally was, I think someone moved the pieces while cleaning or something. It still looks amazing to me.
Scroll down to view some of the pieces that caught my attention. If you have the time, pass by the exhibition, it has been extended until Thursday, 8th of November, 2012.
English and American Literature graduate Faisal Hamadah and journalist Naser Al Wasmi created this audio-visual installation. In an experiment, Souk Al Mubarikiya is used as a medium where memory of a poem is rescued from the archives of FM 94.9 and materialized into words.
Spatial designer Aseel Al Yaqoub created a video/media installation to highlight the issues of western educated individuals, better known as chicken nuggets, who want to create radical change for a better country. In her sarcastic video installation, Aseel appears as a candidate giving a speech during her election campaign. The video has several strong messages which, as a Mchboos Deyay/McChicken, I strongly agree with.
Artwork by Middle East Studies graduate and artist Ceyda Oskay
Beautiful drawings by English Literature graduate and artist Zahra Al Mahdi shown above and below
Although this piece by artist Anbar Waleed titled Challenge is not part of the exhibition, I spotted it in one of the halls at Moma Kuwait and I thought of sharing it because I loved what this piece is representing, and i'll leave it up to your interpretation.
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