This publication includes a selection of Alghanem’s poetry and stills from the film commissioned for the National Pavilion UAE at the fifty-eighth International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, as well as a selection of images of the installation in Venice.
Entitled Passage, the work weaves together two genres of storytelling: the ancient art of Arabic poetry, which continues to be deeply steeped in Alghanem’s homeland, with filmmaking, a relatively recent art form within the context of the UAE. She explores the psychological, emotional and physical experience of displacement, a theme that underpins much of her practice.
About the Artist
Emirati poet, filmmaker and artist Nujoom Alghanem is considered a leading voice of her generation. She belongs to a lineage of poets who have been deconstructing the conventions of traditional Arabic poetry by imbuing it with original syntax and structure. Through her films, she relays the stories of some of the most unexpected characters from within her own society, furthering the discourse around gender issues and cultural norms.
About the Editors
Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath are Founders of Art Reoriented, a multidisciplinary curatorial platform launched in New York and Munich in 2009. They have collaborated as a duo over the past ten years, have taught at various universities, are Chairmen of the Montblanc Cultural Foundation in Hamburg and are Affiliate Curators at Gropius Bau in Berlin. They are internationally recognised independent curators and award-winning authors known for their rigorous inter-temporal, trans-cultural and cross-disciplinary approach. Their curatorial practice is rooted in global contemporary artistic practices, as well as in the field of modernist studies.
About the Publisher
Founded in 1948, Italian illustrated book publisher Silvana Editoriale specialises in art and photography monographs, exhibition catalogues, museum and gallery guides, art history titles and books on design. Today, Silvana Editoriale publishes over 400 titles a year in collaboration with foundations, research institutes, universities and museums in Europe, the United States and the Middle East.