Harraki and Kosuth's Dialogue at Galerie Imane Farès

Galerie Imane Farès in Paris presents "Absence-présence, Twice," a two-person exhibition featuring Mohssin Harraki and Joseph Kosuth, running from October 24 to December 21, 2013. The show materializes a dialogue initiated in 2006 between the two artists, exploring friendship, admiration, and shared concerns. The gallery walls are split horizontally: the upper white section displays Harraki's drawings and sculptures, while the lower gray section hosts Kosuth's project of black panels with luminous texts. Both artists engage with books, text, meaning, and the power of words. Kosuth's "Camus Illuminated #1" (2013) highlights words from Albert Camus's "L'Étranger" (1942) in English, French, and Arabic, forming a lexical field of light (illuminate, lumen, luminous, lunar, light) and reflecting on alienation. Harraki's works, including a book with translucent glass pages revealing the Arabic definition of "history," address identity, exile, and home, critiquing the univocal and subjective nature of history. The exhibition underscores conceptual affinities between the artists regarding the figure of the foreigner, power systems, and belonging.