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“Untitled” was filmed in Bodh Gaya, India during a residency in 2011. There, he came across a scene that appealed to his interest in the political and social aspects of modernity. He filmed a policeman who, seemingly, is controlling traffic. Yet, when closely observed, the policeman is powerless to the overwhelming flow of vehicles and people. The policeman swings his arms and gestures as a show of control, but is unable to influence any change. The flow of traffic is random and chaotic; his perch in the middle of the road positions him on an island in a sea of humanity. This video is of the extinction of a job once important to the day-to-day of the urban environment. The man, convincing himself through his gestures that his work is of use reminds the viewer of the inconsequence’s of individuality in the face of unleashed modernity. The work is a metaphor for the life of an individual. Life passes by and we mostly leave no trace of the individual. In the tradition of absurdism central to French culture in the 1940s and 1950s, “Untitled” is a witty, poignant and thoughtful interrogation of contemporary life.
Mohammed Kazem (b. Dubai, 1969) has developed an artistic practice, encompassing video, photography and performance as a method for apprehending his varying environments and experiences. The underpinning for Kazem’s artwork is informed by his training as a musician. Exploring light and sound in tangible terms, Kazem is interested in developing processes that render transient phenomena’s. In an attempt to trace the rapid pace of modernization in the Emirates since its founding, Kazem responds to geographical location and the materiality of urban existence through positioning himself within his work as a means to assert his subjectivity. Kazem’s oeuvre is divided into two fundamental aspects, the political and the social. While his work does not follow a strict methodology of representation, Kazem’s continued assessment and assemblement of chance patterns and happenings creates meaning in the maelstrom of modernity.
Podcast Interview: Performance Photographers | Arts Equator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia Festival (Podcast) Crispian Chan (by Izdiyad Ahmad), Bernie Ng (by Biru Chua), Kuang Jingkai April 24, 2019 Duration: 45 min In this interview with Crispian Chan , Bernie Ng and Kuang Jingkai , three photographers of theatre and dance, we get to know more about a profession that’s sometimes taken for granted but is an essential aspect of the packaging of a performance...
Cakap-Cakap: Interview with Jo Kukathas for Air Con | ArtsEquator Thinking and Talking about Arts and Culture in Southeast Asia ArtsEquator Viewpoints September 23, 2021 We cakap-cakap (chit-chat) with Jo Kukathas about The Instant Café Theatre Company’s upcoming screening of Air Con , an award-winning 2008 play written by Shanon Shah...
Expo Chicago reveals more than 170 exhibitors for first edition since acquisition by Frieze Art market Museums & heritage Exhibitions Books Podcasts Columns Technology Adventures with Van Gogh Search Search Art market news Expo Chicago reveals more than 170 exhibitors for first edition since acquisition by Frieze The long-running Midwestern fair was acquired by the London-based fair company in summer 2023 Benjamin Sutton 2 February 2024 Share Expo Chicago Photo by Justin Barbin Expo Chicago , one of the most significant US art fairs, is preparing for eleventh edition and first since it was acquired in the summer of 2023 by London-based expo and media company Frieze...
In his posters, prints, and installations, Erick Beltrán employs the language and tools of graphic design, linguistics, typography, and variations in alphabetical forms across cultures; he is specifically interested in how language and meaning form structures that can be misconstrued as universal...
One Universe, One God, One Nation was inspired by Hannah Arendt’s analysis of space exploration and by the astrological horoscope of Chinese political and military leader Chiang Kai-shek (1887-1975)...
Central Station, Alignment, and Sumo are “situation portraits” that present whimsical characters within distorted and troubling worlds...