Lake Forest College News
Wafaa Bilal's 2004 piece "Domestic Tension" has been called "one of the sharpest works of political art."
Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal debuts two new pieces on campus
Internationally acclaimed, Iraqi-American artist Wafaa Bilal is transforming the face of art with political and social themes. Often controversial, Bilal’s work combines modern interactive technologies with provocative visuals. As a witness to, and victim of, Saddam Hussein’s brutal rule, Bilal’s reaction has been to create work that illuminates disparities between the comfortable and remote aspects of life in the the U.S. and the violence of war in Iraq.
Bilal presented a lecture on “Domestic Tension” and other recent work on February 15, 2012 in the Meyer Auditorium. On February 16, he debuted two new artworks, “The Comfort Zone” and “The American” at the Sonnenschein Gallery.
Both video installations address modernity’s deepening desensitization to violence. The installations are inspired by Bilal’s brother’s death in 2004 by a Predator drone attack in Al Kufa, Iraq. Bilal’s “The Comfort Zone” will bring viewers in front of the lens in a confrontation between perceived violence and a visceral reaction to it.
A total listing of events is below:
Opening exhibition at 7:30 pm February 16th at the Sonnenschein Gallery
Public lecture “Domestic Tension” – February 15th – 7pm Meyer Auditorium
Informal Talk “A Conversation with Wafaa Bilal” – February 16th – 12pm location TBD
Student workshop – “One Take” –February 13th and 14th – 7pm Durand Rm. 113
All events will take place at Lake Forest College, 555 N. Sheridan Rd in Lake Forest, and are free and open to the public.
Bilal’s visit is supported by the AIR Committee, in partnership with the Office of the Dean of the Faculty, Student Government, The Mojekwu Fund, the Art Club, the Sonnenschein Gallery, American Studies, the Department of Art, and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science.
