And The Mirrors Are Many investigates institutional repositories of memory–the museum, the memorial and the archive–and poses the questions: why do we remember, and how? By examining these contemporary modes of remembering, the exhibition considers the relationship between remembrance and history, and reflects on the aesthetics, techniques, provenance, and language that are deployed in the process of memory-making.
Referencing the Mahmoud Darwish poem, On the Last Evening on This Earth in the title, this exhibition asks us to examine our shared histories through the lens of ongoing catastrophe that spans human history.
And The Mirrors Are Many explores the persistence of catastrophic events that continue to inscribe upon the present through traces, armatures, and echoes. Featuring annotations spread across the gallery spaces, as well as new commissions, And The Mirrors Are Many spans a myriad of mediums, from sculpture, video, and installation, to photography, printmaking and textiles.
Recent global demands for the restitution and reparation of displaced artifacts, as well as the rising calls for the decolonization of museums around the world, including the need for the inclusion of forgotten and ignored histories, means that these institutions are now facing an existential crisis; some might argue that they are struggling to adjust to change while searching for their place in the future.
As we enter what seems like a future-focused cultural-production boom in this region, it is essential for individuals and institutions to collectively interrogate these questions that influence our understanding of the past, the present and our dreams of the future.
Contributing artists in this exhibition are Maitha Abdalla, Rand Abdul Jabbar, Reem Al Menhali, Emii Alrai, Moza Almatrooshi, Nasser Alzayani, Hadeyeh Badri, Rohini Devasher, Vikram Divecha, Mirella Salamé, Sara Smarrazzo, Dima Srouji, and Fatima Uzdenova.
And The Mirrors Are Many is curated by Mona Al-Jadir and emerged from a year-long journey as part of the 421 Curatorial Development Exhibition Program in collaboration with The Bombay Institute for Critical Analysis and Research (BICAR) and with mentorship from curator Sabih Ahmed.
Photography by Seeing Things/Ismail Noor.
About the curator
Mona Al-Jadir is an architectural designer who grew up in Abu Dhabi. She graduated from the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture at McGill University, Montreal and more recently studied curating at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, London. Her academic interests primarily lie in research-based curatorial practices and the moving image, which she hopes to pursue further in her graduate studies post-pandemic.
More information about this exhibition:
Artist biographies are available to view here.
Download the press kit for the Winter 2023 Program: RE/COLLECT THIS here.
Download the children's In-Gallery Activity Guide here.
Book a curator led tour of the exhibition here.