Nadia Kaabi-Linke
FAHRENHEIT311: Seven Legends of Machismo
16 March–14 May 2015
Private preview: 16 March, noon–9pm
Lawrie Shabibi
Unit 21, Alserkal Avenue
Al Quoz
Dubai
T +9714 0 3469906
info [at] lawrieshabibi.com
Lawrie Shabibi is pleased to present FAHRENHEIT311: Seven Legends of Machismo, Nadia Kaabi-Linke’s second solo at the gallery.
FAHRENHEIT311 brings together a set of existing and new artworks, demonstrating the breath of her practice and preoccupations with modern myths of macho culture and masculinity, manifested through themes such as war, heroism, exploitation, environmental issues, elitism, violence, pride and ignorance. The title refers to the melting point of the steroid hormone testosterone, associated with “manly” characteristics and behavioral patterns.
The core of the exhibition is a new work titled The Altarpiece (2015), a gilded monumental triptych reminiscent of traditional Christian altarpieces, the content of which form three panels of prints taken by the artist of the bullet-holed exterior of a historically charged bunker in Berlin. Currently holding artworks of the Boros Collection, it was built during World War II by forced labour for the German Reich Railway; used as a textile warehouse by the Red Army during the Cold War; served as a fruit store called “the Banana Bunker” and later re-appropriated for hedonistic techno parties and art exhibitions. “Referencing the history of a real object (the bunker) as well as the object of history (the representation of past events), The Altarpiece becomes a metaphor for the eternal conservation of vanishing historical traces,” comments artist Kaabi-Linke.
Kaabi-Linke’s working methods often make use of many different media, codifications and contexts, making her practice highly thought-provoking and evocative. While questioning aspects of contemporary life, she exposes survivals of the past. In FAHRENHEIT311 her work takes on a new dimension by drawing on the seven deadly sins through the angle of macho culture.
Artist biography
Nadia Kaabi-Linke (b. 1978, Tunis) is a Russian-Tunisian artist, who studied at the University of Fine Arts in Tunis (1999) before receiving a PhD from the Sorbonne University in Paris (2008). Recent solo exhibitions include No Frills (2015), Cristina Guerra Contemporary, Lisbon; The Future Rewound and The Cabinet of Souls (2014), Mosaic Rooms, London; and Stranded (2014), Gulbenkian Museum, Lisbon. She has participated in group exhibitions at The Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Nam June Paik Art Center, Geonggi-do, Korea; the Liverpool Biennial, UK (2011); the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark; Herbert F. Johnson Museum, Ithaca, NY; 54th Venice Biennial (2011) and Sharjah Biennial (2009).
Her works are part of several public and private collections including the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Burger Collection, Hong Kong; Sharjah Art Foundation, Sharjah; M+ Museum, Hong Kong; the Vehbi Koç Foundation, Turkey; the Samdani Collection, Bangladesh; Villa Datris, France; and the Kamel Lazaar Collection, Geneva.
Nadia Kaabi-Linke is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and prizes including the New Discoveries Prize at Art Basel Hong Kong (2014), the Abraaj Capital Art Prize (2011) and the Jury Prize at Alexandria Biennial (2009). In 2014 Kaabi-Linke was listed as one of the top 50 female artists to collect by Art & Auction.
Nadia Kaabi-Linke currently lives and works in Berlin.
About Lawrie Shabibi
Lawrie Shabibi is a contemporary art gallery housed in Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue. The gallery’s programme supports international contemporary artists mainly from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia. By holding a regular programme of exhibitions, screenings and talks, publishing catalogues and participating in international art fairs, the gallery engages the wider local and international community.
The gallery represents Hamra Abbas, Adel Abidin, Shaikha Al Mazrou, Farhad Ahrarnia, Wafaa Bilal, Asad Faulwell, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Taus Makhacheva, Nabil Nahas, Driss Ouadahi, Shahpour Pouyan, Nathaniel Rackowe, Marwan Sahmarani, Larissa Sansour, Yasam Sasmazer, Mona Saudi, and Adeel uz Zafar.
Media contact
For more information, images or media enquiries contact Nadine Fattouh:
nadine [at] lawrieshabibi.com / T +9714 3469906
