• session #003 Subverting Kitsch
  • session #002 Tracing History
  • session #001 Bearing Witness

Session #003: Subverting Kitsch

Zena El Khalil (a writer and mixed media artist based in Beirut, Lebanon) and Sputniko! (a media artist based in Tokyo) share a powerful combination of unique aesthetic vision, upbeat attitude and political savvy. Both artists use diverse techniques and technologies along with a heavy dose of sly wit in their work. This discussion will focus on the artists’ use of kitsch and humor as a form of cultural activism, their thoughts about gender and feminism in their respective contexts, and the role of local pop culture in the work of a transnational artist.

<DAY 2>

Dates & Time: 13:00-18:30, Saturday, September 29, 2012 (Door open 12:30)

[Timetable] (temporary)

12:30 Doors open

13:00-14:30 Session 2“Tracing History”

  Speakers: Hrair Sarkissian (Participating Artist), Koizumi Meiro (Artist)

  Moderator: Deena Chalabi (Former Head of Strategy, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art)

~Break(30 minutes)~

15:00-16:30 Session3 “Subverting Kitsch”

  Speakers: Zena el Khalil (Participating Artist, via skype), Sputniko! (Artist)

  Moderator: Deena Chalabi (Former Head of Strategy, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art)

~Break(30 minutes)~

17:00-18:30 Closing Discussion “Being Arab and Being Japanese: Different But Not So Different”

Speakers (temporary): All speakers of the symposium

Moderator: Nanjo Fumio (Director, Mori Art Museum)

Venue: Academyhills 49 (49F, Roppongi Hills Mori Tower)

Capacity: 150 (booking required)

Admission: Free

Organizers: Mori Art Museum, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Qatar Museums Authority

session #003 Zena el Khalil | ゼーナ・エル・ハリール

Born in 1976 in London. Currently lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon.

Zena El Khalil's art addresses issues relevant to politically unstable Beirut. Using familiar materials to produce vibrant work in pink and other bright colors, she links in her work the dreams of Lebanese people with the reality of war. El Khalil works in a diverse range of media, including painting, installation, performance and fiction. Her novel Beirut, I Love You: A Memoir (Saqi Books, 2008) became a bestseller in Lebanon. Her recent major exhibitions include “Hopes and Doubts” at Fondazione Merz, Turin, Italy (2009), “Ou Ali mama’ou Khabar (And Ali Has No Idea...)” at Galerie Tanit, Munich, Germany (2010), and “Beirut ReBirth” at Beirut Exhibition Center, Lebanon (2011). In 2012, she was selected to be a TED Fellow.

Photo: Karen Kalou

Zena el Khalil
Peace Will Guide the Planets and
Love Will Steer the Stars

2010
Courtesy: Galerie Tanit
Photo: Christoph Knoch
In 2012, she was selected to be a TED Fellow.

session #003 Sputniko

Born 1985, Tokyo.

Sputniko!'s multimedia artworks explore the intersection between technology, feminism and pop culture. Often involving collaborative research with scientists, Sputniko!'s works are critical speculations on the possible future of humanity and technology. Sputniko!'s collaboration project with Cesar Harada, was awarded the “Next Idea” award at Ars Electronica in 2009. After her graduation from Royal College of Art (she majored in Design Interactions) in 2010, Sputniko! participated in exhibitions such as “Talk to Me” at the Museum of Modern Art, New York (2011), and “Transformation” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tokyo (2011). Since this year she has served as a guest professor at Kobe Design University

Sputniko

Photo: SHIMA TAKUYA

Arab Express