The first major solo presentation by mounir fatmi in Scandinavia comes at a very particular time. In the spring of 2018, Freemuse – an independent organization working with defending the rights and freedom of artistic expression - published its first global report assessing the global state of artistic freedom. It is an important and chilling document about censorship and violations of artistic expression experienced across the globe, including the traditionally democratic western countries. Having himself experienced the consequences of a culture of silencing, mounir fatmi is an artist dedicated to exposing and deconstructing oppressive ideological and religious dogmas in works that shed light some of our most pressing political questions today.
Seeking to illuminate the role of artists in a time of crisis, the exhibition at Göteborgs Konsthall particularly addresses the urgency of free speech and seeks to open up the political potential of language as resistance. Engaging in notions of language, and the written word – its beauty, violence and fragility – fatmi’s works expose the layers of interpretation and reinterpretation that comprise our history, but also speaks directly to a culture of censorship and silencing.
Stina Edblom,
Artistic Director, Göteborgs Konsthall
