"When museumgoers walk into the gallery, a deconstructed 'sound sculpture' of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum's song 'Al Atlal' plays in the background. In English, the song title translates as 'The Ruins.' To Western ears, the original song sounds like a sorrowful dirge. Kulthum's live performances turned the song into something anthemic for Arab audiences. The lyrics speak to a broken romance, but her audience also interpreted the song as an allegory of political oppression."
"Untitled (the elephant in the room [the tower of silence]) is the biggest statement piece. It's the kind of structure that immediately grabs the viewer's attention. From a few feet away, the sculpture evokes the remnants of a building in a state of decay. Black and skeletal, all the walls and windows are gone, removed by some unseen force. Up close, a small motor turns a spiral staircase, zombie-like, round and round."
Sahar Khoury's exhibition 'Weights and Measures' employs multiple media to convey narratives about political conflict and cultural meaning. The exhibit opens with a deconstructed sound sculpture of Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum's song 'Al Atlal' (The Ruins), which carries dual significance as both a romantic lament and political allegory for Arab audiences. The centerpiece, an untitled skeletal structure resembling a decaying building with a motorized spiral staircase, dominates the gallery space. Visitors can walk beneath a connecting ramp that serves as a platform displaying Palestinian olive oil bottles. Throughout the exhibition, political statements are embedded within the artwork, with everyday objects like olive oil carrying layered symbolic meaning related to displacement and cultural identity.
#political-art #contemporary-sculpture #cultural-displacement #sound-installation #middle-eastern-symbolism
Read at East Bay Express | Oakland, Berkeley & Alameda
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