Adel Abidin "I'm Sorry"
Location One
This event has ended.
Born in Baghdad in 1973 and living in Helsinki since 2001, Abidin touches upon timely subjects such as fundamentalism, nationalism and religion. The artist engages in a variety of media, working primarily with video installations and short films. He assumes an ironic attitude in his deconstruction of prejudices and stereotypes. How can an Iraqi-born artist face the war with a sense of humor? That is exactly what his task entails.
The piece that gives the exhibition its title–a light box including a sound installation– comes from his experience as an Iraqi traveling in the U.S. In one of his trips, Abidin encountered people from diverse social backgrounds. Yet, surprisingly, every time he mentioned his nationality, the answer was invariably the same: I’m Sorry. Of course, this reply comes as a double entendre: Are people sorry for themselves, for feeling guilty for the infringements imposed by the U.S. on Iraq during the war, or are they sorry for the artist’s fate of being born in such place? The shift of position between audience and self is constantly present in his work.
Abidin studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad and at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki receiving a MFA in new media in 2005. He represented Finland in the 2007 Venice Biennale Nordic Pavilion with the internationally acclaimed piece Abidin Travels: Welcome to Baghdad. In 2010 he had a major solo exhibition at Kiasma, Helsinki’s Museum of Contemporary Art. His work is represented in major museum collections in Finland and has been featured in numerous exhibitions including On the Margins (2009, Kemper Art Museum, St. Louis); and the 2008 Cairo Biennale. He has held many solo exhibitions throughout Europe, Scandinavia and the Middle East.
Media
Schedule
from May 21, 2010 to July 31, 2010
Opening Reception on 2010-05-20 from 18:00 to 20:00