Belonging and Confronting
Belonging and Confronting examines ideas of nationality as well as displacement and political and social confrontation, recognizing the tensions associated with the assimilation of new cultures and traditions. In Palestinian artist Sharif Waked’s video installation, Chic Point, 2003, the contradictory interpretations of revealing flesh as a fashion prerogative or as a humiliation juxtapose two worlds, one of high fashion and the other of semi-imprisonment.
Works in this section include:
Sharif Waked
Chic Point, 2003
In much of his work the Palestinian artist Sharif Waked confronts the difficulties faced by his people and the complexities of the political situation in the Middle East. In these video works, clothes designed to reveal areas of flesh
are seen alongside images of Palestinian men being subjected to body searches at Israeli checkpoints. Playing on the glamour of the catwalk, Waked uses the sense of identity and dignity associated with clothing to make a powerful political comment about its removal.
Little Rich Girls, 2010
In this piece, specially commissioned for the exhibition, Shonibare continues his exploration of postcolonial Africa. The wax-printed cotton batik fabric that is a feature of all his work is strongly associated with Africa, but in fact was
originally designed and printed in Holland and exported when it found no market in Europe. The installation of children’s clothes underlines cultural crossovers and the relationship between developing nations on the West. Dutch wax-printed cotton
100 Ways to Wear a Flag, 2007
To create this work, Framis invited sixteen fashion designers to make dresses inspired by the Chinese flag. The proliferation of the garment export industry in modern China, an important factor in its burgeoning economy, is suggested. The associations of nationhood that the flag bears could both empower and burden the wearer of such dresses.
