Mona Hatoum

Description

Through performance, video, sculpture and installation Mona Hatoum immerses her audience in emotional and psychic states - as they take a journey through all the orifices of her body; watch her "drowning" in mud in a glass box; or walk down a long tunnel towards a light which literally will burn them. Whilst her video work is often visceral and emotive, her sculptures and environments are ultra cool and minimal in their aesthetic. They often mimic domestic or institutional furniture yet their designs and material have a threatening edge. This text argues that Hatoum's works can be seen as powerful evocations of statelessness, anxiety, denial and otherness. The book is part of a series of studies of important artists of the late-20th century. Each title offers a comprehensive survey of the artist's work, providing analyses and multiple perspectives on contemporary art and its inspiration.

Guy Brett was the art critic for The Times from 1964 to 1975. His books include Kinetic Art (1968), Through Our Own Eyes: Popular Art and Modern History (1986) and Transcontintental: Nine Latin American Artists (1990). Michael Archer is an art critic and lecturer. He is a regular contributor to Art Monthly, Untitled and Artforum, is the author of Art Since 1960 (1997) and the co-author of Installation Art (1994). He is a Tutor in art history at the Ruskin School of Drawing and Fine Art, University of Oxford, and a Visiting Research Fellow at Chelsea College of Art and Design. Catherine de Zegher is a curator and director of the Kanaal Art Foundation Centre for Contemporary Art.

"This valuable retrospective demonstrates the sense of alienation her work intends to create, and reinforces her artistic statements with essays from cultural commentators, including brilliant fellow-Palestinian Edward Said."-Big Issue "Uncomfortable, compelling and often unexpectedly beautiful."-World of Interiors On the Contemporary Artists Series "The boldest, best executed, and most far-reaching publishing project devoted to contemporary art. These books will revolutionize the way contemporary art is presented and written about."-Artforum "The combination of intelligent analysis, personal insight, useful facts and plentiful pictures is a superb format invaluable for specialists but also interesting for casual readers, it makes these books a must for the library of anyone who cares about contemporary art."-Time Out "A unique series of informative monographs on individual artists."-The Sunday Times "Gives the reader the impression of a personal encounter with the artists. Apart from the writing which is lucid and illuminating, it is undoubtedly the wealth of lavish illustrations which makes looking at these books a satisfying entertainment."-The Art Book