1/ Displaced tabla 2/ Folding the desire GHOST
GHOST group show was curated by Mint Works and ran between 27 Oct - 10 Nov 2018 at Guest Projects in London.
1/ "Displacement" refers to the voluntary or involuntary act of moving or being put out of the place. As such, in all form of displacement of/ between Subjects/Objects, there is a confrontation of loss, alienation, disorientation, translation, incessant dynamic of deterritorialization. But not only that, displacement suggest also the potential of empowerment and freedom. In any case, the displacement is a process of transformation that involves the wound, the mourning and the rebirth.
2/ The table cover is never used as neutral object, it is used to stimulate the desire for what is eaten or presented on the table. The touristic promotion narratives of a place/city like Marrakech find its source in orientalism, exotism and colonial narratives in line with desiring the orient. In this sense these narratives on Marrakech, as a case, are The table cover. From Collages of early jacque Majorelle work, Yves saint Laurent branding the city, Landscape painting of Churchill Winston during his visit of Marrakech, to images of belly dancer, Folding the desire suggest a gesture of suspension.
Extract from curatorial statement:
How do you host? What does it mean to be a guest? Who or what has claimed you?
With the global rise of nationalism, Brexit and the refugee crisis, ideas around belonging and territory are changing. GHOST is an exhibition and accompanying event programme that invites audience and participants alike to reflect on what it means to be a guest or a host, at a time when notions of otherness are being challenged and the global community faces issues around home.
These questions are starting points, and the exhibition and programme responds to the idea of guest and host from unexpected perspectives. Jan Verwoert’s essay Gathering People Like Thoughts, the key text behind the show, asks us to consider authorship, hosting and the politics behind the ‘gathering’ of people. The programme morphs and slips, who do you host in your heart? How can humans be better guests to the earth system that feeds us?
The title of the show GHOST is inspired by the Duchampian pun that covered sweets at the opening of Bill Copley's 1953 show in Paris : A Guest + A Host = A Ghost. Duchamp’s playful and enquiring nature is present in the exhibition, guiding the enquiry and shedding new light on questions, creations and thoughts.
