TAKE ME TO THIS PLACE: I WANT TO DO THE MEMORIES

© Atfal Ahdath

The three room exhibition by collective Atfal Ahdath may be the most amusing part of the suddenly controversial Sharjah Biennial. The three Beirut based artists pay homage to the ubiquitous photo studios which are so much a part of the fabric of the greater Middle East.

The Aftal Ahdath collective members – Vartan Avakian, Hatem Imam and Raed Yassin – have been given a substantial amount of space to present video and still images. In the work– titled Take Me To This Place: I Want To Do The Memories – Atfal Ahdath wear outfits mimicking (and gently mocking) the styles sometimes seen in the windows or counter tops used to advertise the  fabulously kitschy portrait studios.

Take Me To This Place is entirely over the top, but the room dedicated to life-size cutouts of the trio in an unimaginative paradise, gives the parody an extra layer of irony not achieved by the framed pictures or video.

The exhibition statement describes the work as,

"...a large-scale comment on the use of photographic manipulation to convey fantasy and aspiration. The collective explores the role of images and the photographic studio in perpetuating society’s fascination with fame. ...Take me to this place: I want to do the memories offers a reflection on the evolution of the studio tradition in the digital age."

© Atfal Ahdath