Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains, 2002. Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. Courtesy of the artist
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Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains, 2002. Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. Courtesy of the artist
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Ali Cherri, The Digger, courtesy of the artist and Imane Farès, Paris
[+]Ali Cherri, The Digger, courtesy of the artist and Imane Farès, Paris
[-]Ibrahim Shaddad, Al Habil/ The Rope © Sudanese Film Group, Ibrahim Shaddad
[+]Ibrahim Shaddad, Al Habil/ The Rope © Sudanese Film Group, Ibrahim Shaddad
[-]Abdullah Al Othman, Sound Carving, courtesy of the artist
[+]Abdullah Al Othman, Sound Carving, courtesy of the artist
[-]Ahaad Alamoudi, NIUN, courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Jeddah
[+]Ahaad Alamoudi, NIUN, courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Jeddah
[-]Larissa Sansour, A Space exodus, courtesy of the artist and Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai
[+]Larissa Sansour, A Space exodus, courtesy of the artist and Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai
[-]Paz Corona, Atacama, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
[+]Paz Corona, Atacama, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
[-]Malena Szlam, Altiplano, courtesy of the artist
[+]Malena Szlam, Altiplano, courtesy of the artist
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Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains, 2002. Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. Courtesy of the artist
Ali Cherri, The Digger, courtesy of the artist and Imane Farès, Paris
Ibrahim Shaddad, Al Habil/ The Rope © Sudanese Film Group, Ibrahim Shaddad
Abdullah Al Othman, Sound Carving, courtesy of the artist
Ahaad Alamoudi, NIUN, courtesy of the artist and Athr Gallery, Jeddah
Larissa Sansour, A Space exodus, courtesy of the artist and Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai
Paz Corona, Atacama, courtesy of the artist and Galerie Les Filles du Calvaire
Malena Szlam, Altiplano, courtesy of the artist
When Etel Adnan started to write The Arab Apocalypse in January 1975, Lebanon was on the brink of civil war. The poet developed an angry and profane cosmology where the Sun is part of the long chain through which every thing is transformed. In it the Sun appears not as an omniscient observer of History but on the contrary as a prominent actor in human disasters. It participates in them as a voracious star that is capable of becoming anything. Operating an astounding turnaround, Etel Adnan thus writes that “each vertebra is an extinct sun.”
I clearly remember that when I read that first sentence, the image of a desert appeared to me. From Arabia to Atacama and the American Great Basin, there are deserts on every continent. Too often limited to a mere exotic motif, the desert is in fact a powerful biotope where the existence of plants, animals and humans is hard won. The desert confronts us with the abstract time of tectonic formations. However, as with Etel Adnan’s allegorical Sun, the desert is also connected to our political condition.
Thus, the films and videos presented here show that these arid regions can amplify our individual or collective struggles. By expressing genuine indifference to our experience, the desert appears as a metaphorical tool that translates in striking fashion the necessity we’re all confronted with: holding on in the face of adversity.
— Fabien Danesi
First Program, 10 – 11 – 12 March
Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains (2002). Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. 15 min.
Ali Cherri, The Digger (2015). 23 min.
Ibrahim Shaddad, Al Habil / The Rope (1984). 32 min.
Second Program, 13 – 16 – 17 March
Abdullah Alothman, Sound Carving (2020). 8 min.
Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains (2002). Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. 15 min.
Ahaad Alamoudi, NIUN (2018), in collaboration with Michael Mogensen. 9 min.
Larissa Sansour, A Space exodus (2009). 5 min.
Third Program, 18 – 19 – 20 March
Paz Corona, Atacama (2020), in collaboration with Pablo Jomaron. 10 min.
Francis Alÿs, When Faith Moves Mountains (2002). Lima, Peru – April 11 2002. In collaboration with Cuauhtémoc Medina and Rafael Ortega. 15 min.
Bing & Ruth, The Pressure of this Water (2020), directed by Michael Speed. 10 min.
Malena Szlam, Altiplano (2018). 15 min.
Exhibition journal