Iman Issa: Lexicon
About her multipart installation and ongoing project, that takes works of art history as its basis. Exhibited at the 8th Berlin Biennale 2014.
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Emancipation
A 1960s wooden sculpture depicts both mass and movement. The sculpture has straight lines and triangular planes, yet the edges are all soft. Facing it sideways, one can make out a rectangle that gradually tapers towards the bottom. From the side the sculpture appears flat, while from the front diagonal lines imply movement and show a depth invisible otherwise. The sculpture is attached to a small base made from the same material as its body. It is placed in the center of a white plinth. Its dimensions are 47 x 77 x 7 cm.
Surrealism (III)*
A 1935 gouache and ink drawing on paper depicts disfigured human skeletons, bones, stones, ropes, fish, and monstrous-looking sea animals. The different elements are scattered across the drawing's surface in no apparent order. The background is reminiscent of a stormy sky or a murky seabed. Its washed-out hues of yellow, pink, and blue seep into the depicted elements, making it difficult to clearly distinguish between a foreground and a background. The drawing has sharp lines and contrasting colors. Its width is 25 cm. Its height is 35 cm.
* This drawing is one of a series of three, largely believed to be an expression of the artist's agony at the death of her nineteen-year-old son in the field.
Foreground
Emancipation (Study for 2014), 2014
2 wood sculptures, 2 white plinths, text panel under glass
Background
Surrealism III (Study for 2014), 2014
Wood sculpture, 2 white plinths, text panel under glass
© Photo: Haupt & Binder
About her multipart installation and ongoing project, that takes works of art history as its basis. Exhibited at the 8th Berlin Biennale 2014.