The Palestinian Art Court- alHoash
Cordially invites you to attend the opening of
An exhibition by Iraqi Palestinian artist Sama Al Shaibi
Entitled “ Between Two Rivers ”
On Thursday, March 4th, 2010 at 19:00pm
The exhibition runs till April 8th, 2010
Art statement by Sama Al Shaibi:
The project “Between Two Rivers” inscribes violence on the body, reflecting life during war in Iraq, the country of my birthplace. Tribal tattoos, scarification and traditional Iraqi identity markers are subverted to speak about the once proud cradle of civilization. I was inspired by how my people are resisting “vultures” (persons who prey on the dead) in the streets of Baghdad. These vultures deceive the family members of suicide bombing victims; they call the family of the deceased and announce that they have kidnapped their child, spouse, etc. After the families pay a large ransom, they callously reveal the kidnapping is a farce. Many Iraqis have taken to tattoos and special scars, demanding the vultures to state what their loved one hidden mark before paying. It is a powerful form of resistance, yet so physical and violent, a testament to where the country psychologically stands.
I mirror the language of violence and terror by physically altering my face and body. I work with a special effect make-up artist to reference the inter civil fighting, religious wars, the landscape, the historical greatness of Iraq and the mediated imagery that has come from news sources. The barbed wire-barricaded landscape of Iraq is represented by a severing gash across both of my cheeks; the mediated imagery of a once proud moment in contemporary Iraqi history, the purple stained fingers for the first democratic vote in 2005 is reflected as a gushing wound. Other images converge the markings of historical pride and contemporary peril, such as Iraq’s famous landmark, the Malwiya Minaret. The structure is evoked in large cascades across my neck, as if layered strangulation marks. It is dedicated to a woman who sits on death row, a monumental scapegoat in the dysfunctional Iraqi government system. Imaging death, violence, war and occupation is a difficult and sensitive process. I am not interested in exploiting the suffering of my people. That is why I primarily use my own body in depicting such suffering.
The Rivers (documentary about the Iraqi refugees living in Jordan - and the work of the NGO, Direct Aid Iraq - made in collaboration with Tomiko Jones) and video art "Guantanamo's Bride"
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