Bouchra Khalili's Film on Jean Genet and Black Panthers Featured in Artes Mundi 8 Exhibition

Bouchra Khalili is among five artists shortlisted for Artes Mundi 8, a biannual international prize recognizing artists engaging with everyday life and global social issues. An exhibition of the shortlisted artists, including Anna Boghiguian, Otobong Nkanga, Trevor Paglen, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul, is currently on view at National Museum Cardiff, with the winner to be announced on 24 January. Khalili is presenting her 45-minute film Twenty-Two Hours, produced in 2023 during a fellowship at Harvard's Radcliffe Institute. The film explores radical equality and transnational solidarity, starting with Jean Genet's secret 1970 U.S. visit at the invitation of the Black Panther Party. It features two young African-American women in Cambridge, Massachusetts, examining Genet's commitment, alongside narration by former Black Panther Doug Miranda about organizing Genet's East Coast tour. Khalili describes her work as a long-term meditation, influenced by vernacular traditions like Morocco's Al Halqa storytelling, aiming to create civic spaces through art. She views art as a platform for creolization and encounters, challenging gallery insularity. The nomination honors her 15-year practice focused on social and political responsibility, emphasizing dialogue over competition among artists.