SCAD-Atlanta presents "Signs of Reappropriation," an exhibition of new and existing work by Kader Attia
Published: August 7, 2008
ATLANTA - The Savannah College of Art and Design-Atlanta will exhibit the first Atlanta solo show of French artist Kader Attia Sept. 22-Nov. 30 at the ACA Gallery of SCAD, 1280 Peachtree St. Attia will give a lecture Sept. 24, 5-6 p.m., in the Rich Auditorium at the Woodruff Arts Center; a reception in the ACA Gallery of SCAD will follow from 6-8 p.m. Both the exhibition and the reception are free and open to the public.
"Signs of Reappropriation" will feature a site-specific installation of Attia's 2007 "Untitled (Skyline)" series and a newly commissioned body of photographs that he will print and install during a brief residency at SCAD-Atlanta.
"Untitled (Skyline)" consists of 80 discarded refrigerators painted black and covered in tiny, geometric mirror "windows." This cityscape of customized household appliances addresses the impact of architecture and urbanism on people's everyday lives, and particularly examines the way power is used to oppress populations.
The photographic series explores the relationship between the concrete buildings of Attia's former Parisian neighborhood and a beach in Algiers where he spent time as a youth. Nicknamed Rochers Carres by locals, the beach is covered with huge concrete blocks, and its architecture resembles Baron Hausmann's city plan in Paris. Rochers Carres attracts Algerian youth, yet serves as the ultimate boundary that separates them from Europe and, by extension, their dreams of a better life.
Attia ultimately began to see similarities on both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. The hard existence of the young Algerians reminds him of the struggles of young people in his French neighborhood. The youth in both places express a lack of hope for a better future, a lack of social acknowledgement, feelings of failure and a sense of suffering.
Exhibition curator and SCAD Executive Director of Exhibitions Laurie Ann Farrell said, "The juxtaposition of the oversized photographs taken at Rochers Carres with Attia's 'Untitled (Skyline)' sets up a powerful visual and psychological landscape for gallery visitors to traverse."
This exhibition is sponsored by the Cultural Service-French Consulate in Atlanta. For more information, e-mail or visit www.acagallery.org.
Kader Attia Biography
Kader Attia (French, b. 1970) studied art in Paris and Barcelona before spending two years in national civil service in the Congo. His work explores the impact of Western cultural and political capitalism on the Middle East and North Africa, and examines how residual resistance to colonization impacts Arab youth, particularly in the French suburbs where he grew up. While he employs different materials, symbols and scale in each series, he continually looks at the poetic dimensions and complexities of contemporary life. Attia, who lives in Paris, exhibits regularly in France, and received widespread recognition for his work at the Venice Biennale (2003), Art Basel Miami Beach (2004) and the Lyon Biennale (2005). His most recent solo exhibitions have been at the ICA Boston and the Henry Art Gallery (both 2008).
About SCAD
Named one of Kaplan's "25 cutting-edge schools with an eye toward the future," the Savannah College of Art and Design is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution with locations in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., and in Lacoste, France. Undergraduate and graduate degree programs also are offered online through SCAD-eLearning. The college offers Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Fine Arts, Master of Architecture, Master of Arts, Master of Arts in Teaching, Master of Fine Arts and Master of Urban Design degrees.
For more information about the college, e-mail, call 800.869.7223 or 912.525.5100 in Savannah, or call 877.722.3285 or 404.253.2700 in Atlanta.
