Wafaa Bilal

2014

Support for <i>I Really Want to be White</i>, an installation at the intersection of Middle Eastern decorative arts and robotics.

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While many of my works deal directly with war, racism, and current political realities, I also explore the more personal, cultural, and collective realms of everyday life – including notions of communication, memory, and relationships; how we make sense of our personal spaces in the world; how we share our experiences of the past and our hopes for the future with others; and how we overcome isolation in an increasingly technological world. I do not wish to impose narrow interpretations of my work, but rather I strive to create complex and multi-dimensional projects. Additionally, I do not feel we currently have the privilege of enjoying art as a purely aesthetic pleasure. It is a misconception that art has ever been “pure”; historically, it has been a means of expressing personal and societal realities. I strive to actively employ the tension and incongruence produced through a juxtaposition of aesthetic pleasure and aesthetic pain to attract and jolt viewers in a thought-provoking manner.

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