September 17–December 10, 2016
2245 E. Washington Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90021
United States
Artists: Sophia Al Maria, Meriem Bennani, Phil Collins, GCC, Kareem Lotfy, Tala Madani, Jumana Manna, Slavs & Tatars, Téléramadan
Curated by Myriam Ben Salah
This is a tale of a slicked wedding singer from the Gaza Strip who won Arab Idol.
This is a tale of joy blooming from a loosely defined region where nuances are overlooked and histories are simplified through the lenses of failure, conflict, and narrow aesthetic formulas.
This is a tale of strangers in strange lands, of non-native wanderers with attitude, of individuals who navigate the chasms between cultures and don’t care anymore about what Edward Said said.
“I’m telling you, if you don’t come now and bring Viagra for your father, I’ll go shame us all.”
This is a tale of male thugs and of father tongues, of alternative imagination, of alchemical reactions, and of human intimacies.
This is a tale of dark humor and light spirit, of grooming of bodies and cars and carpets, of bifurcated gender relations, and of a “Global” South / “Middle” East / “non” West burdened with symbols and placed within the vacuums of loaded cardinal points.
This is a tale of the familiar and the foreign, and of the unapologetically vernacular.
Un-a-po-lo-ge-tic.
This is a tale of sensuality.
This is a tale of cracking into the sidelines and cracking jokes.
This is the tale of Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights: a failure to amuse means kaput.
About Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit is a non-profit initiative dedicated to research and creation in the field of contemporary art. Conceived by FLAX and developed by director and curator Martha Kirszenbaum, it is an interrelated residency program and a space dedicated to exhibitions, performances, film programs and talks. It supports the exchange and integration of France-related artists, curators and critics with a particular emphasis on outreach programs in communities within greater Los Angeles.
About FLAX
FLAX (France Los Angeles Exchange) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) charity based in Los Angeles. Founded in 2006, FLAX works to facilitate cultural exchange between Los Angeles and France through public and cultural events in Southern California. Recognizing and reinforcing the crucial links between these two cultural epicenters, FLAX works closely with local organizations, pooling private and corporate resources to foster cultural dialogue between French and American people in the United States. With its independent structure, FLAX operates with autonomy and transparency. Operating costs have been reduced to a minimum in order to turn the maximum of donations into efficient programs.
Media contact: fahrenheit [at] flaxfoundation.org
The exhibition was made possible by generous support from the Institut Français.
