Mona Hatoum

Mona Hatoum (*1952 in Beirut), who has lived in London since 1975, first became known in the eighties for her performances, which focused on the relation between violence and her own body as well as those of the members of her audience. In installations, photographs, sculptures, and videos, the artist has examined the human body as a metaphor for oppression in a broader sense. The video Measures of Distance, for example, shows how repressive forces can, by alienating a person from his or her homeland, also affect one’s relationship to one’s own mother. Just as viewers are drawn by the unfamiliar video images, which are overlaid with graphic characters, they are also fascinated by the electrified, dangerous crackle of a large globe illuminated in red lights, Hot Spot III, a work that symbolizes a world afflicted by conflicts and catastrophes. This publication reveals all of the different facets of the artist’s visual subjects and language.