bones

hanukah is almost over. why so grim? all that early sundown and insomnia finally catching up? what, kandelikas and doughnuts just not enough anymore? i guess not. still up too late. still a little underwhelmed from my low budged holiday decorating.


what a perfect time to discover  Maisoon Al Saleh.

"People can frequently identify buried fragments of a human skeleton, which appeal to them as the remains of what was once living. The bones carry with them identifying factors that tell us more information about the person behind the remains. The bones indicate not only age and gender, but also show a massive amount of information sometimes not identifiable to the naked eye. Through this piece i place a human skeleton in the Emirati dress to signify their roots, literally digging deep in the human's dead body to illustrate their story. A story told by the dead themselves."

i thought i was deep with my coffin purses and ripped fishnets. how refreshing to see a 22 year old with so much soul, minus all the trappings of mall bought nihilism. after the last decade i thought the skeleton was over. having been diamond incrusted, painted pink, bowed, glittered, rendered approachable and sometimes cute by mass retailers. she has returned it to it's original, shocking, form. a double symbol of eternity and mortality, life and death. her paintings are like a modern take on the vanitas theme that was so popular in 16th and 17th century. 

her work will be on view in the states in 2011. look out Austin TX, Portland ME, Atlanta GA, Seatle WA and San Francisco. hopefully she'll hit either Chicago or NYC along the way. 

obsess:

punk arabia - her homepage 

artinfo : the shadow of death emirati artist maisoon al-saleh