880-01 Shamūs Mutabakkarah : asāṭīr Muʿāṣirah min al-Khalīj al-ʿArabī = Evaporating suns : contemporary myths from the Arabian Gulf / edited by Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, KBH.G ; authors, May Al-Dabbagh [and sixteen others].
Bound tête-bêche. Catalog of an exhibition held at Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger, Switzerland, from May 12-July 16, 2023. The exhibition is curated by Munira Al Sayegh, Dirwaza Curatorial Lab, Abu Dhabi - in collaboration with Verena Formanek. Catalog includes works by: Fatema Al Fardan, Abdullah AlOthman, Zuhoor Al Sayegh, Asma Belhamar, Farah Al Qasimi, Fatima Uzdenova, Mashael Alsaie, Maitha Abdalla, Saif Mhaisen, Bu Yousuf, Mays Albaik, Alaa Edris and Moza Almatrooshi. Includes bibliographical references.
Contents:
Senses of navigation / Hessa Al Nuaimi, Anita Shishani & Dania Al Tamimi. Evaporating suns / Munira Al Sayegh -- Fly me to the moon and let me play among the stars : in search of the unreliable narratives of a myth / Verena Formanek -- Another ghost story / Meitha Al Mazrooei -- Rakkaza / Asma Belhamar & Mays Albaik -- Barren Spring / Mashael Alsaie -- Barren Spring : The Myth of Ain Adhari / Zain Al Saie -- Al Kursi (The Chair) / Alaa Edris -- Um Al Khathar wa Al Leaf / Fatema Al Fardan & Zuhoor Al Sayegh -- Deconstructing Um Al Khathar wa Al Leaf / Fatema Al Fardan & Zuhoor Al Sayegh -- Perspectives on myth in the Arabian Gulf / Latifa Al Khalifa -- Heaven Resort & Casino / Bu Yousuf -- Jumairy & Bu Yousuf / Anita Shishani -- The blessing of the rice / Moza Almatrooshi -- Of myths and mythmakers / Beth Derderian -- Pantheon: setting the table (Act I) / Fatima Uzdenova -- Coming full circle / Nadine Khalil -- The Legend of Zahwa / Abdullah AlOthman -- Zahwa / Abdullah AlOthman -- Self portrait 11 & 12 / Saif Mhaisen -- Dear Saif / Sarah Daher -- On the myth of newness / Ahmad Makia -- The dancer's skin & alluring silence / Maitha Abdalla -- Um Al Naar / Farah Al Qasimi -- Moving bodies / Theorizing up / May Al-Dabbagh -- Senses of navigation / Hessa Al Nuaimi, Anita Shishani & Dania Al Tamimi.
Summary:
"Evaporating Suns is an exhibition on contemporary myth from the Arabian Gulf that showcases 13 artists. The show unpacks the tension set in the spectrum that lays between myth and fact. Myth is presented as a social function that acts as a marker of time and place. It plays a formative role in understanding the laws of change. Myths allow us to validate belief systems through emotion over information--an evocative hint of a truth is much more powerful than a statistic one, especially when trying to sway a society. The participating artists have worked on popular folklore and myths in the Khaleej (Arabian Gulf). Their work has instigated new fantastical dimensions related to subjects of environment, gender, and societal power structure. In the spectrum drawn, fact is presented in opposition towards myth, two sides of the same coin. Fact is drawn as the solidification of myth, the removal of its magic, and its sanctity: fact becomes the framework that dissolves and demystifies. This exhibition presents artists from the Arabian Gulf building their universes and rewriting the parallel history of their contemporary societies. Cynicism, satire, fiction, and non-fiction become a host of tools to face a main opponent: fact, truth, and its derivations."--KBH.G website. "Evaporating Suns explores myths from the Arabian Gulf through contemporary art. Based on the concept that the mythical and the factual are like two sides of the same coin, the catalogue accompanying the exhibition shows that myths do not simply convey fictions, but are also capable of presenting truth much more vividly than statistics and facts ever could. The publication showcases the work of 13 contemporary artists from the Arabian peninsula, who explore the folklore and popular myths of their homelands, and use cynicism, satire, and fiction to build their universes and rewrite the parallel history of their contemporary societies. Completed by essays by authors from the region, myths are seen here as opportunities for a new approach to the negotiation of current issues such as the environment, gender, and social structures of power"-- Provided by publisher.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.