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Dipti Nair
Living in a global society as we do, one cannot escape discrimination, whether in terms of race, sex, class or religion. While discrimination upsets, troubles and even threatens people, some choose not to react to it and suffer in silence, while others object to it in different ways. Mahmoud Obaidi has chosen to voice his discontent through art.
Fifty-year-old contemporary artist Mahmoud Obaidi was born in Iraq and it was at Baghdad's Museum of Modern Art that he held his first exhibition. After completing his BFA from Baghdad University, he moved to Ontario to continue his education in fine arts. He continued with further diplomas in media and film in Canada and USA.
Obaidi is known for his scathing criticisms of current political issues and through his art with which he attempts to deconstruct judgments, labels and stereotypes. His art is an expression of the angst he feels about critical issues of injustice and inequality in day-to-day life. His work has been part of numerous international group exhibitions, and in 2015, he even had a solo show at the 56th Venice Biennale.
Other than Qatar, his work is collected by leading museums and institutions in Canada, Jordan, Iraq and UAE.
Obaidi's art installation titled 'Fair Skies' is now on display at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art in Doha. The installation, curated by Leonore-Namkha Beschi, is on view in Mathaf's Project Space, an exhibition area specially dedicated to promising artists and curators' experiments with new ideas and forms of presentation. Presented by Qatar Museums, 'Fair Skies' talks about discriminations in airports and can be seen as a social, political and cultural critique of stereotypical assumptions.
A resident of Qatar for many years, Obaidi says that the artwork has been inspired by his personal experience with airport security.
"I have always experienced subtle discrimination when I travel to the United States, where they stop and ask me needless questions," says Obaidi."But there was this one time when I faced extreme discrimination. This was in Texas, where I had a show at a museum. The airport authorities harassed me for hours, asking for passport, stamps etc. A very big scene was created making me feel disgusted and humiliated. I was afraid I might miss my flight but managed to reach the gates at the last minute. The whole experience terribly upset me and when I got home, I spoke to my wife and said that maybe I should change my look at least for the American airports. That's what prompted me to come up with the idea of 'Fair Skies'.
'Fair Skies', which is actually a continuation of a previous project by Obaidi titled 'How not to look like a terrorist' speaks about the racial discrimination Obaidi had to endure.
Among the first things you notice as you enter Project Space, are installations of plastic figurines grouped in glass boxes presenting miniature scenes. These scenes recreate Obaidi's encounter with a security officer and how he was pulled out of a crowd as he was getting ready to board the flight. You can clearly see the resemblance between the plastic figurines and the artist himself, making clear Obaidi's intention of not just wanting to represent the masses who faced this problem but also wanting to show himself forced to stand out because of his difference in appearance.
'Fair Skies' also has a very sophisticated looking make-up kit on exhibit that contains a representation of hair dye, skin whitener and coloured contact lenses.
"The idea behind the make-up kit is that using the kit one can transform one's looks. You can change the colour of your hair, skin and eyes to help you get a more acceptable racial profile," says Obaidi.
Vending machines are also part of the installation from where you can supposedly purchase the make-up kit, which comes in a small, disposable box.
The artist imagines a company that sells vending machines with make-up for American airports.
His imagination conjures up a scene where, there is a restroom before the checkpoint and one after."Using one of the make-up kits from the vending machines, one can change one's physical appearance for five minutes and once you pass the checkpoint, you can go back to your original self at the next restroom. Using these make-up kits, you and I can then easily pass the checkpoint," smiles Obaidi.
In his exhibit, the artist has used humour to get racial discrimination across.
"The message I want to send out is that racial profiling is wrong. It happens all around us every day and sometimes we choose to ignore it, but it is wrong. It's just the colour of skin, it doesn't and shouldn't matter."
This installation by Obaidi at Mathaf is only an introduction to his major exhibition opening October 18 at the QM Gallery in Katara Cultural Village. The exhibition, entitled 'Fragments' speaks about the artist's childhood and personal experiences in a war-torn Iraq. The exhibition showcases the destruction of an 8,000-year-old civilisation and how Obaidi is coming to grips with it.
Qatar Museums Public Art Curator Maryam Hassan al Thani said of 'Fragments',"The show is an all new installation about the fall of Baghdad and how Mahmoud Obaidi sees it unraveling. You will find the themes of 'Fragments' similar to that of 'Fair Skies'. It is a subject we are dealing with a lot these days, war and destruction, but the artist has handled it in a humorous manner to connect to people's sensibilities. With 'Fragments', you can witness the destruction of a city in a different light."
'Fair Skies' is on show in Mathaf's Project Space from September 22 to January 8.
