Jericho First #7
Two-channel video installation, 4 s on loop, 2012
Jericho First #7 takes its theme from an eighth-century mosaic floor excavated in Jericho, depicting a lion attacking a fleeing gazelle. The work borrows its title from the first stage of the Oslo Accord, drawing a connection between this violent hunting scene and the peace process. It transforms the mosaic’s natural scene— a typical flora and fauna image in Islamic art— into two metamorphic series where the lion and its prey merge into one creature. In the first sequence, the lion and its prey gradually expand into a giant red bubble that dissolves both figures. In the second sequence, the image elongates and narrows into an insect-like hybrid creature. While the violent mythical image lingers in both series, its metamorphosis gradually shifts away from the original imagery until it nearly vanishes, symbolizing the essence of this exhibition.
Sharif Waked was born in Nazareth and lives between Palestine and the United States. Waked’s art transforms the Middle Eastern political landscape into a somber cabaret. His work shapes junctures between contemporary political artifacts and the region’s cultural heritage– encompassing art, archaeology, calligraphy and literature.
Waked has exhibited in more than 40 countries worldwide, including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, USA; Tate Modern and Royal Academy of Arts, UK; Jeu de Paume and Carrousel du Louvre, France; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Germany; Mori Art Museum, Japan; Singapore Art Museum; and the Sharjah Biennial.