Seeing is Believing

By Mounir Fatmi

"Seeing is believing continues fatmi's exploration of the connectivity between large social structures such as architecture, religion, politics and art history and the minute relationships found in everyday existence. This is perhaps most evident in a series of prints that line the wall with statements reading, Minimalism is Capitalist, or Futurism is Fascist."They are semi-comical, but at the same time imply alternative readings of classic art historical movements. Russian Constructivist Malevich’s iconic Black Square, for example, is referenced in a large square set high up on the wall built from black VHS cassettes, and also in a video piece in which the censored text of FBI interviews with Black Panthers flashes onto the screen, here reduced to essential forms of black (markings of censored text) and white background. VHS tapes are a recurring medium for the artist. The installation Ghosting, most recently seen at the Lyon Biennial, consists of a huge wall covered in tapes, their film pulled out along the floor and covering several photocopy machines with which viewers were encouraged make copies of the extracted celluloid. The resulting images range from near-black abstractions to weird reflections and transparencies, spectral imagery from both the exhibition and the empty stretches of film. A large, glossy photograph titled, Black on Black, depicting the bands of tape streaming outwards is on view at Hussenot Gallery. The image is close-up and tightly cropped, giving the impression of a stack of hanging seaweed. It conveys a feeling of claustrophobia - if we entered into it, we’d be lost in a maze of never-ending images."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mounir Fatmi
• Release date: Nov 2, 2021

Mounir Fatmi

mounir fatmi is a visual artist born in Tangier, Morocco in 1970. He constructs visual spaces and linguistic games. His work deals with the desecration of religious objects, deconstruction, and the end of dogmas and ideologies. He questions the world and plays with its codes and precepts under the prism of architecture, language and the machine. He is particularly interested in the idea of the role of the artist in a society in crisis. mounir fatmi's work offers a look at the world from a different glance, refusing to be blinded by convention. He brings to light our doubts, fears and desires.He has published several books and art catalogs including: The Kissing Precise, with Régis Durand, La Muette edition, Brussels, 2013, Suspect Language, with Lillian Davies, Skira edition, Italy, 2012, This is not blasphemy, in collaboration with Ariel Kyrou, Inculte-Dernier Marge & Actes Sud edition, 2015, History is not Mine, SF Publishing, Paris, 2015, and Survival Signs, SF Publishing, Paris, 2017. He has also participated in the collective book, Letter to a young Moroccan, edition Seuil, Paris, 2009.He has participated in several solo and collective exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world including: Mamco, Geneva, The Picasso Museum, Vallauris, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, The Brooklyn Museum, New York, N.B.K., Berlin, Palais de Tokyo, Paris, MAXXI, Rome, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Museum on the Seam, Jerusalem, Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow, Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, the Hayward Gallery, London, the Art Gallery of Western Australia, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Van Abbemuseum in Eindhoven.His installations have been selected in biennials such as the 52nd and the 57th Venice Biennial, the 8th biennial of Sharjah, the 5th Dakar Biennial, the 2nd Seville Biennial, the 5th Gwangju Biennial and the 10th Lyon Biennial, the 5th Auckland Triennial, Fotofest 2014, Houston, the 10th and 11th Bamako Encounters, as well as the 7th Biennale of Architecture in Shenzhen.mounir fatmi was awarded several prizes such as the Cairo Biennial Prize in 2010, the Uriöt prize, Amsterdam, the Grand Prize Leopold Sedar Senghor of the 7th Dakar Biennial in 2006 as well and he was shortlisted for the Jameel Prize of the Victoria & Albert Museum, London in 2013.

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mounir fatmi's Seeing is believing opened on January 16th at the Galerie Hussenot in Paris. This exhibition is Fatmi's first show with the gallery, and his first Paris solo show in nearly two years. Seeing is believing continues fatmi's exploration of the connectivity between large social structures such as architecture, religion, politics and art history and the minute relationships found in everyday existence. This is perhaps most evident in a series of prints that line the wall with statements reading, Minimalism is Capitalist, or Futurism is Fascist."They are semi-comical, but at the same time imply alternative readings of classic art historical movements. Russian Constructivist Malevich’s iconic Black Square, for example, is referenced in a large square set high up on the wall built from black VHS cassettes, and also in a video piece in which the censored text of FBI interviews with Black Panthers flashes onto the screen, here reduced to essential forms of black (markings of censored text) and white background.

VHS tapes are a recurring medium for the artist. The installation Ghosting, most recently seen at the Lyon Biennial, consists of a huge wall covered in tapes, their film pulled out along the floor and covering several photocopy machines with which viewers were encouraged make copies of the extracted celluloid. The resulting images range from near-black abstractions to weird reflections and transparencies, spectral imagery from both the exhibition and the empty stretches of film. A large, glossy photograph titled, Black on Black, depicting the bands of tape streaming outwards is on view at Hussenot. The image is close-up and tightly cropped, giving the impression of a stack of hanging seaweed. It conveys a feeling of claustrophobia - if we entered into it, we’d be lost in a maze of never-ending images.

In a new piece, Assassins, roughly 80 hookahs are placed in the center of the room, their coils for smoking laid out offering viewers a puff. The title comes from the etymology of the word assassin, believed by many to come from the word hasish or Haschichiyoun, the name of people who smoked Hashish - frequently with hookahs. This translation of the name was made popular in the West during the time of Marco Polo, although other readings exist, including a link to the term 'Assassiyoun', or those loyal to Assas - the foundation of law. Whatever may be the case, the work is both beautiful and haunting. Even more so because it is purposely placed in view of a photograph from Fatmi's latest (still in-progress) project, Sleep, a spin on Andy Warhol's film of John Giorno sleeping for 6 hours,