RABIH MROUÉ
Organisation: Iniva at Rivington Place
Time: 23 March 2011 11:00am - 14 May 2011 6:00pm
Place: Rivington Place, London EC2
Iniva at Rivington Place Presents:
RABIH MROUÉ
I, THE UNDERSIGNED - THE PEOPLE ARE DEMANDING
I, the Undersigned is the first solo exhibition in the UK by Lebanese artist, theatre director, playwright and actor Rabih Mroué. Influenced by the ongoing conflicts in Lebanon and the Middle East since the Lebanese Civil War, Mroué looks at issues of historical narration, exclusion and remembrance. For this exhibition he presents new installations alongside key recent works and a live performance.
The People are Demanding - A last minute intervention by the artist directly responds to current political events, the original title I, the Undersigned has been replaced with The People are Demanding and a new work produced. The iconic slogan ‘The People are Demanding' is being heard in cities across the Middle East where a revolution is unfolding, and becomes the title of a new installation for the window space.
Mroué's approach brings together critical theatre and performance art, crossing disciplinary boundaries and shifting the role of the artist. Through his work Mroué asks questions such as: ‘how to express truth through fiction?; can artistic subjectivity create a meaningful and ethically grounded exchange with a public divided by religious and political outlooks?, and how can one establish dialogue in a traumatised society?'
A significant aspect of Mroué's work deals with histories of conflict. Using found documents such as newspaper clippings, video footage and photographs, he aims to ‘erase' the weight of these memories by publicly sharing them. References to specific political situations are used to clear the way for alternative futures.
Until 14 May 2011
Open: Tue-Fri: 11:00-18:00 (Thu: until 21:00) | Sat: 12:00-18:00
Rivington Place
London
EC2A 3BA
ADMISSION FREE
FORTHCOMING RELATED EVENTS AT RIVINGTON PLACE:
Panel discussion: The Politics of Fiction and Post-Civil War Memory Culture in Lebanon
20 April | 18:30 | Free, booking advised | Book online/call: 020 7749 1240/Email: bookings@rivingtonplace.org
Artists’ Presentations: The Politics of Architecture in Conflict
28 April | 18:30 | Free, booking advised | Book online/call: 020 7749 1240/Email: bookings@rivingtonplace.org
Artists in conversation: Beirut, London, Beirut
5 May | 18:30 | Free, booking advised | Book online/call: 020 7749 1240/Email: bookings@rivingtonplace.org
For more information contact Iniva on:
T: 0207 729 9616
E: iniva@iniva.org
Image above: © Rabih Mroué, Je Veux Voir (detail), 2010, installation view, BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Utrecht, 2010 (photo: Victor Nieuwenhuijs)