The Other Side of Silence is the first monograph of the artist Hrair Sarkissian – one of the leading figures working with photography globally today. This cerebral book of multi-disciplinary essays and images explores histories of disappearance, the architecture of violence, and the potential of the medium of photography itself. While encompassing the moving image, sculpture, sound, and installation, Sarkissian’s practice is rooted in his photographs. His life-long use of a large-format camera relates to the artist’s interest in the role that chance plays in capturing hidden narratives of conflict, trauma, and displacement. Acting as an archaeologist and a storyteller, the artist draws upon personal and collective memory to reveal stories that official records cannot tell. The viewer is invited to consider the formal aspects of the image, to breathe in its silence and to interrogate what might live beneath its surface.
About the Editors
Omar Kholeif is a writer, curator and cultural historian who has curated more than 100 exhibitions, special projects and commission globally.
About the Artist
Hrair Sarkissian’s photographs reflect on personal memories, using subjectivity as a way to navigate stories that official histories are unable to tell. Using traditional documentary techniques in large-scale works, he engages the viewer in a profound consideration of what lies behind the surface of the images, thereby re-evaluating larger historical or social narratives.
