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The collapse of regimes leaves its mark on our collective memory. Images of defeated dictators, totally vulnerable, have left an indelible imprint on our retinas. Benito Mussolini hanged by his feet, Muammar Gaddafi on his knees, Saddam Hussein haggard... With the same aim of annihilating the monstrous power of these tyrants, Egyptian artist Aalam has chosen to hijack photographs of these men from collections (public or private) or the media.
What these subjects have in common is that they seem to lose themselves for a moment, breaking with the conventions of their official propaganda: Idi Amin Dada in a swimming pool, Adolf Hitler slumped over, staring at the ceiling, Kim Jong-un, his gaze fixed on his plate. Is this the artist’s manipulation? An incongruous pairing with other clichés to create surprising, entertaining, even ridiculous fictional moments—all the more so because they are accompanied by captions and copyright notices rewritten by Aalam.
The title of the series, "Privaatt," means "Private" in the language of an imaginary totalitarian state, and this book brings together this collection of illusions.
To be published on 12.01.2024 by Editions Imogènes,
24.6 cm 30.7 cm 1.1 cm, 80 pages, like new
ISBN
The collapse of regimes leaves its mark on our collective memory. Images of defeated dictators, totally vulnerable, have left an indelible imprint on our retinas. Benito Mussolini hanged by his feet, Muammar Gaddafi on his knees, Saddam Hussein haggard... With the same aim of annihilating the monstrous power of these tyrants, Egyptian artist Aalam has chosen to hijack photographs of these men from collections (public or private) or the media.
What these subjects have in common is that they seem to lose themselves for a moment, breaking with the conventions of their official propaganda: Idi Amin Dada in a swimming pool, Adolf Hitler slumped over, staring at the ceiling, Kim Jong-un, his gaze fixed on his plate. Is this the artist’s manipulation? An incongruous pairing with other clichés to create surprising, entertaining, even ridiculous fictional moments—all the more so because they are accompanied by captions and copyright notices rewritten by Aalam.
The title of the series, "Privaatt," means "Private" in the language of an imaginary totalitarian state, and this book brings together this collection of illusions.
To be published on 12.01.2024 by Editions Imogènes,
24.6 cm 30.7 cm 1.1 cm, 80 pages, like new
ISBN