Art and Palestine: complicated positions
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mong the seductively beautiful, often unnerving works in Mona Hatoum’s spectacular current show at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, it’s easy to miss a small object tucked away in one corner. From a distance it looks like a typical French garden chair. And it is. But draw closer and you’ll notice a surprising addition: a triangle of lustrous brown pubic hair that seems to grow out of the seat.
Punningly titled “Jardin Public”, the chair highlights the strong strand of Surrealism running through the Centre Pompidou’s survey of the Palestinian-British artist’s work and, indeed, throughout her oeuvre.
The exhibition will transfer to Tate Modern next May but, as if to pave the way, two more London exhibitions of work by Palestinians are in the pipeline. This month, Berlin-based Jumana Manna will have her first solo show in the UK at London’s Chisenhale Gallery, while the Whitechapel Gallery will present Emily Jacir: Europa, a survey of work created by the artist in Europe over two decades.
Source: www.ft.com