Mona
Hatoum exudes complexity, and her artwork follows suit. She has been shocking audiences with her unique pieces since the early 80’s. Over the years, she has carved a permanent place for herself in the contemporary art world and has unveiled her latest creation, entitled Here is Elsewhere
style=’font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana’>, at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Hatoum was chosen as part of the Artist’s Choice series started by the late art historian Kirk Varnedoe. The series allows contemporary artists to arrange exhibitions using pieces from MoMA’s permanent collection. Hatoum uses works from artists such as Francis Alys, Robert Gober, Felix Gonzalez-Torres and Cindy Sherman. |
Cindy Sherman, Untitled Film Still # 7, 1977
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With her attention to detail and ability to make ordinary
objects ornate, Hatoum’s artistic style screams for attention. She uses a wide
variety of artistic tools, including performance art and sculptures, to convey
political messages. These messages, although sometimes difficult to decipher,
are rooted in Hatoum’s experiences growing up and living in a society that
mystifies her. As told to a reporter at The London Times, Hatoum says
style=’font-size:8.0pt;font-family:Verdana’>, “I grew up with a constant sense
of insecurity, of not being able to identify with my environment.”
Born in Beirut in 1952 to Palestinian parents, Hatoum
lived the early part of her life in the middle of a civil war. At 23, she was
separated from her parents due to mounting tensions in Lebanon. Hatoum ended
up in England and enrolled in The Byam Shaw and Slade schools of art, where she
perfected her talents as a performance artist. She currently lives in London
with her musician husband, Gerry Collins. Hatoum’s work often focuses on the
social injustices that she feels plagues society. Therefore, her art gives
people a chance to see the world through her eyes. For example, in her first
performance piece, Hatoum placed her naked body inside a box lined with brown
clay, where she struggled unsuccessfully to stand up. Arabic news and
revolutionary songs played softly in the background. This seemed to be an
attempt by Hatoum to show how she has felt vulnerable and oppressed at several
times in her life. This display caused much debate – even being referred to as
pornography – but it was just the beginning of the controversy that has beset
much of Hatoum’s work.
In 1994, Hatoum presented a piece titled “Corps Etranger,”
which received a lot of criticism for its graphic nature. Hatoum showed videos
of the inside of her body, taken by an endoscopic camera. Hatoum’s heartbeat
was played through loudspeakers, while the videos were projected in circular
booths. Ironically, it is this piece that was nominated in 1995 for the Turner
Prize. The Turner Prize originated in 1984 and is annually awarded to an
artist under 50 who has made a significant contribution to the British art
world. Although Hatoum did not take home the award, the nomination marked a
high point in her career.
In
1997 Hatoum reached another high point in her career when her work was
displayed for the first time in a major American museum in Chicago. Since
then, Hatoum’s art has become increasingly popular in the United States,
showing up in museums throughout the country. Hatoum has also organized
exhibitions in galleries all around the world, from Paris to London to
Montreal, and she is once again returning to Manhattan. Her latest exhibition
at MoMa exposed another little piece of the complex reality that defines Mona
Hatoum.
Mona
Hatoum: Here Is Elsewhere, MoMA, through February 2, 2004 |
