Iman Issa's Material Series Explores Absence and Memory at Spike Island
Iman Issa's exhibition titled 'Materials for 2018' is being held at Spike Island in Bristol from February 17 to April 15, 2018. It showcases ten works from her Material series, crafted between 2010 and 2012, arranged on elegant white pedestals with specific titles. A highlight includes a poignant sound installation reflecting on a nation’s journey of progress and decline. Other notable pieces explore the theme of public monuments and their interpretations, incorporating elements like a black tassel to convey cultural narratives. Additionally, 'Common Elements' features autobiographical insights from figures such as Edward Said, examining the role of omission in fostering democracy.
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Materials for 2018' at Spike Island, Bristol, 17 Feb – 15 Apr 2018
- Features ten works from Iman Issa's Material series (2010–12)
- Sound piece 'Material for a sculpture acting as a testament to both a nation’s pioneering development and continuing decline' (2011) plays throughout
- Works reference unidentified public monuments known to the artist
- Black tassel in one work suggests a fez with cultural and political history
- 'Material for a sculpture commemorating an economist whose name now marks the streets and squares he once frequented' (2011) includes personal effects with blank name spaces
- Three copies of 'Book of Facts: A Proposition' (2017) presented at desks
- 'Common Elements' (2013) includes texts from autobiographies of four public figures, including Edward Said
- Exhibition explores absence as a device for democratic enrichment
- References Roland Barthes's 'The Death of the Author' (1967)
Entities
Artists
- Iman Issa
- Edward Said
- Roland Barthes
- Tommy Cooper
Institutions
- Spike Island
- ArtReview
Locations
- Bristol
- United Kingdom