Videoworks: Wish We Could Tell
Joana Hadjithomas, Khalil Joreige
A Space Main Gallery
March 20 – April 17, 2009
Essay by: Tess Takahashi
Copresented by: Consulate General of France, Images Festival
Artist talk: Khalil Joreige in conversation with Tess Takahashi on April 4th at 3:30
In this exhibition Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige investigate the status of the material remnant; the physical trace that remains after an event. They investigate the subversive potential of the historical remnants of the wars in Lebanon through two primary concepts: the anecdotal and what they describe as latency. For Hadjithomas and Joreige, the concept of latency references the potential of that which lies in waiting, sometimes barely visible, unconscious, or dormant. Thus, the latent offers a confirmation of presence that requires neither complete legibility nor full comprehension. For Hadjithomas and Joreige, the anecdotal and the latent function in ways that are both subversive and political.
Videoworks: Wish We Could Tell is programmed by A Space Gallery and presented in conjunction with the Consulate General of France and the Images Festival. For more information about the 22nd Images Festival, 2-11 April 2009 please visit imagesfestival.com.
Biographies
Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige were both born in Beirut, and work together as visual artists and filmmakers. Their work includes feature films and documentaries as well as photographic and video installations. Their latest feature film, Je Veux Voir (Baddi Chouf/I Want to See) (2008), starring Catherine Deneuve and Rabih Mroué, premiered in the official selection of Cannes Film Festival before launching in various countries and screening in numerous festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival. Other films include the acclaimed A Perfect Day (Yawmon Akhar) (2005), which received numerous awards including the FIPRESCI Prize at the Locarno Film Festival, and the short film Ramad (Ashes), which was selected for the 2005 French Cesar Awards. They have also directed several documentaries/essay works, including Khiam (2000) and Al film al mafkoud (The Lost Film) (2003).
Recent solo exhibitions include We Could Be Heroes Just For One Day at the Musée d’art Moderne de la ville de Paris (Paris, 2009), Where Are We? at the Festival d’Automne (Paris, 2007), The Circle of Confusion at CRG Gallery (New York, 2007), Back to the Present at Homeworks IV, and the Ashkal Alwan Forum (Beirut, 2008). Hadjithomas and Joreige have also participated in many group shows. Both artists teach in Beirut and have written for numerous publications. Several retrospectives of their work have been featured at various festivals, including the Paris Cinema (France), Gijon Film Festival (Spain), Visions du Réel (Switzerland), and the Villa de Condé (Portugal). For more information visit hadjithomasjoreige.com or contact their gallery representation, In situ Fabienne Leclerc (Paris) and CRG (New York).