A journey from the desert to the depths of space, from a microscopic grain of sand to the most distant galaxies, in search of one's destiny and humanity. A journey marked by voices and stories that rarely land in the Western world, united in the exhibition «Your Ghosts Are Mine, Expanded Cinemas, Amplified Voices» (from 19 April to 24 November), produced by Qatar Museums, co-organised by Doha Film Institute, by Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and the future Art Mill Museum (currently under construction), in collaboration with Acp-Art Capital Partners.
Over forty directors and video artists from the Middle East, Africa and South-East Asia whose moving images give shape to a journey of discovery of man through contemporary experiences of common life, memory, migration and exile. The gaze of established and emerging artists and directors, selected by the curator Matthieu Orléan in collaboration with Majid Al-Remaihi and Virgile Alexandre, converge in a journey in ten thematic sections that range from the desert to the ruins, from the voices of women to exile, a story about the present and future of man through a part of the world that is often, guiltily, little known to us Westerners. Various genres represented: fiction, documentaries, animated films and memoirs, suspended between imaginary and real events, between tradition and modernity, spirituality and postcolonial sensitivity.
«These films do not belong to the mass media and the cultural industry, explains Matthieu Orléan. They follow their own paths, without ever forgetting that they are and will be perceived as pieces of history, especially when they come from countries devastated by wars or affected by the lack of tangible traces of past history. Without being afraid of paradoxes, these directors and artists reveal the ability to belong to multiple places and genres at the same time.”
«Dome» (2005), of Lida Abdul. Courtesy of Giorgio Persano Gallery
The first room is dedicated to the desert, the setting and recurring image of numerous films. «The desert is a paradoxical space: it seems empty, but it isn't. It houses mysterious archaeological finds, it is a place of wandering and solitude, but also of revelation, meditation and madness. Many films describe its violence, but also its beauty", explains the curator. Another room is dedicated to exile, and not only that from the Western world, but also that from African or South Asian countries to the Arab world. The concept of exile is redefined from time to time. There is a room dedicated to women, with films about women, several made by female directors. «I tried, Orléan summarizes, to concentrate on their words, but also on their silences and gestures, on how women write, demonstrate, speak». There is also a room dedicated to fire, explored as an element of violence that predominates in the scenarios. In addition to these rooms dedicated to feature films, there are rooms with video works by artists Hassan Khan, Sofia Al Maria, Wael Shawky, Lida Abdul.
Among the countries represented in the exhibition Algeria (Hassen Ferhani, Tariq Teguia), Egypt (Morad Mostafa, Sameh Alaa), Ethiopia (Jessica Beshir), Iran (Shirin Neshat, Shoja Azari, Ali Asgari), Lebanon (Khalil Joreige & Joana Hadjithomas, Ali Cherri), Lesotho (Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese), Morocco (Faouzi Bensaïdi, Randa Maroufi, Asmae El Moudir), State of Palestine (Elia Suleiman, Raed Andoni, Larissa Sansour, Abdallah Al-Khatib), Qatar (Hamida Issa, Amal Al -Muftah, Majid Al Remaihi, A.J. Al-Thani, Rawda Al Thani), Sudan (Suzannah Mirghani), Mauritania (Abderrhamane Sissako), Syria (Yasser Kassab, Mohamad Malas, Fares Fayyad), Senegal (Ramata-Toulaye Sy), Yemen (Shaima Al Tamimi) and a dozen more.
Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, President of Qatar Museums and the Doha Film Institute, said: «The fact of inaugurating “Your Ghosts Are Mine” during the Art Biennale, continuing until the Venice Film Festival, will allow a large number of foreign visitors to open their eyes to the ideas, emotions and above all to the artistic perspectives of contemporary directors from the Arab world and neighboring areas".
«I Promise You Paradise» (2023) of Morad Mostafa. Courtesy Bonanza Films