Image in the Aftermath

boris groys · joana hadjithomas & khalil joreige · hassan khan · masao okabe& chihiro minato · walid raad · sophie ristelhueber · jalal toufic · the nakba archive · sahara occidentale, con poche immagini

the theme of the exhibition, image in the aftermath, is articulated around specific situations and events that reflect on the production, use and dissemination of images. it is not so much the events themselves that are explored, as much as the way these political situations have lead to new ways of using and diffusing images as a tool of resistance or as the only possible means to respond to a significant event.

the absence of images – as well as their excess – and the question of representation are at the core of the works presented. these works reflect on turning points in the evolution of the use of images or on historical events including: hiroshima, the lebanese wars, the iraq war, the sahrawis’ struggle for self-determination, and the nakba as a catalyst for the creation of palestinian representation.

in sahara occidentale, con poche immagini (western sahara, few images), similarly to the nakba archive, images and documentation serve as tools of resistance as they become a proof of an existence that could otherwise be threatened or denied. in relation to the invasion of iraq, jalal toufic brings to mind the symmetry trick, decalcomania, the false mirror, elective affinities, the treachery of images, and boundless recognition. as a means to respond to the significant events of the lebanese wars, walid raad explores “the withdrawal of tradition,” as conceived by toufic, for whom art reveals the immaterial withdrawal of tradition in the wake of “surpassing disasters”. this concept has echoes in the work of joana hadjithomas and khalil joreige who reveal the physical and mental constraints and implications of resurrecting images from the period of the lebanese wars. masao okabe and chihiro minato examine the aftermath of the hiroshima tragedy through its physical traces by producing frottage drawings. sophie ristelhueber creates seamless collages that reconstruct scenes, both real and imaginary, exploring the limits of media images. boris groys, using film footage in his video lectures, thematizes the gap between what we hear and what we see and reflects on the relationship between image and word in our media driven world. hassan khan presents mystery, a work in process he began in 2010 that takes as its basic medium the act of ‘writing in style’. its source is the memory of a young boy’s perception of a class based society and the pleasures of reading arabic mystery tales for boys.

through the works presented accompanied by a series of parallel events, this exhibition proposes to explore both the limitations of images and their power to act as a means of preservation and representation.