Nashashibi/Skaer's 'Chimera' Exhibition at Cooper Gallery Blends Myth and Reality Through Film
From 30 September to 19 December, Cooper Gallery in Dundee showcases 'Chimera,' a project by Rosalind Nashashibi and Lucy Skaer that includes three films exploring themes of transformation and mythology. Our Magnolia (2009) offers a fresh perspective on Paul Nash's 1944 artwork Flight of the Magnolia, highlighting Margaret Thatcher's involvement in Gulf War oil politics and the Iraq War under Tony Blair, alongside footage from the 2003 looting of the Iraq Museum. Meanwhile, Lamb (2019) and Bear (2021), shot on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, center on ewes and their lambs. Nashashibi aims to elevate the ordinary to the extraordinary. The exhibition's title draws from Greek mythology, with British scholar Roger Cardinal emphasizing its lyrical essence. The duo has been collaborating since 2005.
Key facts
- Rosalind Nashashibi and Lucy Skaer have collaborated since 2005
- Exhibition 'Chimera' at Cooper Gallery, Dundee from 30 September to 19 December
- Features films Our Magnolia (2009), Lamb (2019), and Bear (2021)
- Our Magnolia references Paul Nash's 1944 painting and Margaret Thatcher's role in the first Gulf War
- Lamb and Bear were shot in a lambing shed on Scotland's Isle of Lewis
- Bear was filmed during pandemic lockdowns and is silent
- Ink on film and digital drawings give sheep a chimeric quality
- Exhibition title alludes to Greek mythology's hybrid creatures
Entities
Artists
- Rosalind Nashashibi
- Lucy Skaer
- Paul Nash
- Margaret Thatcher
- Tony Blair
- Samuel Palmer
- Roger Cardinal
Institutions
- Cooper Gallery
- Iraq Museum
Locations
- Dundee
- Scotland
- Isle of Lewis
- Baghdad
- Iraq
- United Kingdom
- US