This video documents an installation exhibited at The Big Picture group show in proArt Gallery (Dubai, UAE, 2016)
Concept & Installation
ANATOLIY KHARKHURIN
Poetry
TOVY HARHUR
TOVY HARHUR
Video
KARINA SAIDI
KARINA SAIDI
CONCEPT
The visitors of the exhibition play a central role in this project thereby making it an art happening. The major theme evolves around people’s egocentric behavior, which undermines their existentially sustainable development. In the project, I state that people were granted sustainable virtues, which were intended to establish a path to existential completeness. People do not see these virtues, because they are occupied with their own reflection, their ego. This egocentric behavior masks these virtues thereby giving rise to existential void. What they see instead is the reflection of their own worries. Only in the moments characterized by psychologists as a state of flow, people see scattered pieces of these virtues. However, even in these moments they are not able to construct the full picture and therefore remain in confrontation with the givens of existence. The project calls to people’s awareness of the fact that selfishness results in existential void. It implicitly shows a path to spiritual restoration.
In this work, each verse of the poem (enclosed) presents a sustainable virtue given to people. The poem is printed in white on black paper covered by thin glass to create a mirror reflection. The poem covers the floor of the room. The visitors walk in the room. They see their own reflection masking the poem. This act presents inability of people to see the virtues because of their selfishness. By walking on the glass the visitors break it. Broken glass shards cut the paper on which the poem is printed thereby hampering reading of the poem. This act symbolizes people destroying the path to existential completeness.
Thus, the following parallel is constructed: The visitors are unable to read the poem because it is masked by their mirror reflection. Even when the glass breaks and they see that something is written underneath, they cannot comprehend it because the text is broken into pieces. This symbolizes the following: People live their lives and do not know that they were given sustainable virtues intended to impart meaning to their life. Thereby, they deprive themselves of the meaningful existence and make themselves unhappy. The poem in combination with the act of breaking the glass should make the visitors aware of the fact that their selfishness eliminates meaning from their life.
TEXT OF THE POEM
this is the will to elongate countenance of the pleasure of the ancient of days the white light has marked the crown at birth the time passes by the gaze becomes firmer sharper and the mind – stuffed with properties
this is the left ear filled with anticipation of mature thought woman’s joy – the moment of conception motherhood – the joy of acceptance – comprehension: the mother of children does rejoice but lacks harmony
this is a patch of lightning bolt rushing about the right ear lobe – an earring scatters temptation of inspiration but the path of self-nullification is forgotten and – unwilling to understand – the wisdom of the world is masked with irony
this is the central trunk – the homonyms coalesce therein: the supreme intellect has penetrated the depth of his sensual essence no one would condemn if knew this relation like adam knew his wife eve but lechery has been authorized here
this is severe might of judgment – the concentration of supreme forces as if the right hand that gives was protected by the left one that strikes to prevent squandering of the goodness but instead it’s all atrocity
this is the right hand raised to construct the world with loving-kindness the love given to abraham strove to unconditionally bestow largesse but the goodness has been diverted by malignant gossip
this is the instant of beauty and harmony of might and benevolence the soul acquires its purpose in splendor of the body created for love – for love but not for agonizing sex
this is the eternal resistance to all influences on one’s path it’s not dissoluteness but sincerity the confidence in balanced motion – the steadfast step of the left foot – of all who believe in predestination
this is eternal victory over all obstacles on one’s path it’s not aggression but persistence the supreme self-confidence – the assertive step of the right foot – of all who strive to rectify the world
this is the pillar bridging heaven and earth – the foundation of the universe – the righteous man who related all elements to their procreative power in the form of the reproductive organ that carries the sign of covenant – the circumcision
instead of assembly of the souls – hanging out instead of actualizing speech – small-talk he has revealed his presence he lowered himself like a woman exposing herself and being trampled on there is no kingdom without people but the people in its vain search for permanence tramples on the revealed he created his world as the kingdom but the path to the king is forgotten
at the venue
