Kader Attia's Dual New York Exhibitions Explore Colonialism and Cultural Trauma

In January and February 2015, Kader Attia showcased two exhibitions at Lehmann Maupin's locations in Chelsea and the Lower East Side of New York. The Chelsea venue presented a labyrinthine setup featuring an untitled collection of African music album covers alongside Dispossession (2013), which included Vatican ethnographic visuals, sculptures that echoed African artistry, and collages that merged Greek and indigenous styles. Titled Show Your Injuries, this exhibition delved into themes of cultural export and colonialism. Meanwhile, the Lower East Side hosted Asesinos! Asesinos! (2014), which featured over 100 A-shaped half-doors equipped with megaphones, offering a stark contrast to Attia's previous work, Kasbah (2009). The Chelsea exhibition highlighted broader frameworks of exploitation beyond mere identity politics.