Veil Season
dal 2/6/2003 al 27/6/2003
Segnalato da
2/6/2003
Veil Season
Iniva - Institute of International Visual Arts, London
Series of 4 exhibitions. All four exhibitions are part of Made in Paris: Photo/Video a season of French photography and video in London. Works by: Marc Garanger, Ghazel, Samta Benyahia, Majida Khattari.
Series of 4 exhibitions in June
@inIVA
Marc Garanger: 3 - 6 June 2003
Ghazel: 10 - 13 June 2003
Samta Benyahia: 17 - 20 June 2003
Majida Khattari: 24 - 27 June 2003
Opening: Tuesday 3 June 2003
MARC GARANGER
3 - 6 June 2003 (12 - 6pm)
In 1960 French photographer Marc Garanger was doing his military service in
Algeria, when, in the midst of the War of Independence (1954-62), the French
Army asked him to take identity photographs of the local population.
Marc Garanger's historic series of photographs Femmes Algeriénnes will be shown
in London for the first time at TheSpace@inIVA. Full of imminent violence, these
disturbing and yet beautiful photographs reflect the silent but fierce protest
of the Algerian women, who were forced to unveil for the camera. Adopting a
critical stance Garanger took the chance to make this series of powerful
photographic portraits: a record of the outrageous racism that the Algerian
women experienced at the hands of the French army. Alongside a selection from
Femmes Algeriénnes Marc Garanger will show a slide reel of nearly two thousand
photographs, documenting life in the many countries he has visited during his
time as a photographer.
GHAZEL
10 - 13 June 2003 (12 - 6pm)
Ghazel's time-based self-portraits present a humorous spin on the video diary
and travelogue. As part of the ongoing Me series, inIVA have commissioned Ghazel
to make a new trilogy of films, in which she re-enacts moments from her personal
diary with the veil as her ever-present costume. Dressed in a full chador,
Ghazel films herself in the process of performing everyday actions, from the
banal to the ridiculous. Simple activities such as mowing the lawn or
ice-skating become strange because of the black veil that covers her from head
to toe. Presented on three screens, the films are accompanied by captions in
French or English (neither language is her mother tongue), emphasising the irony
and surreal humour of the work. Born in Tehran, Iran, Ghazel now lives and works
in Paris, France. Ghazel's performances explore her position as an outsider both
in the West and in Iran.
SAMTA BENYAHIA
17 - 20 June 2003 (12 - 6pm)
In an exploration of the relationship between Islamic and Western traditions of
representation, Samta Benyahia will create a new site-specific installation for
TheSpace@inIVA. Through her use of the decorative geometric patterning
characteristic of the Islamic world, Benyahia works with the architecture and
light within the building, placing patterned filters on the windows whilst
swathes of fabric dissect the room. The patterning is derived from the
mashrabiyya (ornate wooden screens) found in the windows of traditional Berber
dwellings, a reference to her Algerian Berber identity. Also on show is the
photographic work: Femme Haracta des Aurès (Woman from Haracta des Aurès). Taken
in the early days of photography, the image is a portrait of a female family
member in traditional Berber costume. In a reflection on the postcolonial
experience of displacement, Samta Benyahia repositions an element of Islamic
identity within a Western space. Samta Benyahia will also be showing as part of
Fault Lines at the Venice Biennale 2003.
MAJIDA KHATTARI
24 - 27 June 2003 (12 - 6pm)
Examining the context of the feminine condition in the Muslim world, Majida
Khattari has become known for staging highly political catwalk shows in which
her garments, designed to constrict movement, link Western high fashion with
Islamic codes of dress and behaviour.
In the final week of this exhibition series, Majida Khattari will present her
film titled Rêve de Jeunes Filles (Dream of Young Girls). An exploration of the
customs and taboos surrounding marriage within the highly codified Morrocan
tradition to which she belongs, the wedding ceremony appears as a performance in
itself. The work is composed of three successive tableaux, the first part of
which centres around the embroiderer, Chafika, who spends a year preparing the
outfit of the future bride. In the wedding preparations that follow, Khattari
has clothed the men in traditional women's outfits and, in an ironic reversal of
roles, the men take charge of the wedding preparations. Their clothing, along
with the objects that they use, have all been created by the artist. Meanwhile,
the final section of the film centres around the theme of emigration; Yasmina, a
young woman with double cultural heritage, is split between Morrocan tradition
and Western customs.
All four exhibitions are part of Made in Paris: Photo/Video a season of French
photography and video taking place in London in the months of May and June 2003.
www.institut-francais.org.uk/madeinparis
Commissioning new work across a range of media, inIVA is a London-based arts
agency that thrives on the city's cosmopolitan mix, whilst also collaborating
with partner venues throughout the UK and worldwide. Offering wide-ranging
voices and viewpoints, inIVA's artistic programme and library explore the
creative possibilities provided by the constant interaction of cultures in the
contemporary world
For images and further information please contact: Olivia Plender (Press
Officer) or Natasha Anderson (Marketing Manager) on tel: 020 7729 9616.
In the image: Gaëtan de Clérambault, Morocco, 1918-34.
inIVA
6-8 Standard Place, Rivington Street, London
tel +44 020 77299616