Lida Abdul in Vancouver
Lida Abdul The White House 2005 Video still
Western Front and Centre A co-host the first survey show of Kabul-born artist Lida Abdul’s remarkable photographs and films. Curated by Candice Hopkins and Makiko Hara, the exhibition features a body of work that explores the complex relationship between architecture and the human body in postwar Afghanistan. Abdul’s photographs and films insert theatrically staged subjects into crystal-clear images of architectural ruins, complicating our ability to distinguish the supposed reality of photojournalism from the surreality of staged photography. The effect is both eerie and inspiring. We distrust the realism of these images for the same reason that we hope that they are authentic: because they depict people attempting the seemingly impossible task of recovering and rebuilding after suffering monumental physical destruction. The artist, who broke ground as the first official representative for Afghanistan at the Venice Biennale in 2005, has described her work as “a petition for another world, a momentary shattering of what is comfortable so that we become more sophisticated in reclaiming the present.” In light of recent debate about the potential consequences of Vancouver hosting the 2010 Olympic Games, which will undoubtedly bring with them another kind of monumental physical change, Abdul’s images of community resilience and reclamation take on new meaning. (2 W Hastings St and 303 E 8 Ave, Vancouver BC)
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Lida Abdul What We Saw Upon Awakening 2006 Video still |
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