Mona Hatoum is back in Paris

parisdiaArt2 Comments

02. Mona Hatoum - Portrait 2 ∏ Mona Hatoum, 2013 ∏ Andri Pol 2013

Mona Hatoum, photo Andi Pol, 2013

I was on my way to the Pompidou center to see the Le Corbusier exhibition (very serious and technical) and was irresistibly attracted by this wonderful British artist’s large retrospective. Mona Hatoum was born in Beryrouth in 1952, from Palestinian parents and was caught in London, when the 1975 civil war erupted in Lebanon. She therefore attended Slade School of Fine Art and became a British citizen. But her roots are very present in her work which is both minimal and militant, and englobes all sorts of mediums.

T42 (gold), Bill Orcutt

T42 (gold), photo Bill Orcutt

Traditional palestinian embroideries used as a weapon

Twelve Windows, photo Joerg Lohse,traditional Palestinian embroideries used as a weapon

Very obsessed by geography – there are many maps including one on the floor made of glass beads – she uses video, her own hair, china, sand, and many wire cages playing with the lighting.

A map of the world in glass beads at Pompidou Center

A map of the world in glass beads at Pompidou Center

The ambiance of the show is very dramatic and yet anyone can find something they like in it. Many installations are kinetic, she dialogs with the public and talks about a world that is shaken by contradictions. So you can understand the pieces politically or visually. It is a very playful show for such an intense artist. (Pompidou center until September 26 and Tate Modern in 2016 from May 4 th to August 21st)

19. Mona Hatoum - + and - ∏ Hall Collection ∏ Photo Courtesy Mataf Arab Museum of Modern Art [Markus Elbaus]

+and-, photo Markus Emblaus

Share this Post

2 Comments on “Mona Hatoum is back in Paris”

  1. Always intriguing to know of someone who exercises such freedom of choices when “composing” an artistic expression. I think my space for doing that is in my Biodynamic Garden (Rudolf Steiner).

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *