vs. Him
vs. The Ruler, The Empire, The Father, The Brother, The Lover, and The Son.
‘vs. Him’ is a multimedia project that investigates Arab masculinities in relationship and contrast to a female protagonist. In a post 9/11 environment, Western popular culture is fixated on depicting the Middle Eastern, Muslim, and Arab male body as an existential threat. However, masculinity takes a variety of forms and endures through institutional and cultural practices. In the twenty-first century, global economic and cultural forces combined with demographics are strongly influencing the reconstruction of Middle Eastern patriarchy, masculinity, and gender roles. The project departs from the status quo and imagines into spaces where gender equalities are challenged and provoked. The project consists of video installations, photography, sound work, and sculpture.
vs. The Ruler
"In vs. The Ruler, two sculptures occupy the space: two thrones, both shaped with ultimate virility and ultimate authority as the male seat is owned by the ruler, while the female seat is owned by the people. The one voice versus the collective bringing on an audio encounter of speech. The speech is an experience of poetry, vocalized by a single male voice who recites towards delusion, fury and condemnation. Alshaibi collects her material from speeches that occurred since November 2010 by the leaders of autocracy; a rise before the uprising. While the female voice occupies the seated reverberations of Twitter and Facebook accounts, where an artist’s personal network addressing the cyberspace world, was a link to a regional fire against the singular vilification."
Aida Eltorie, Director, Finding Projects
Cairo, September 2011
vs. The Empire
‘vs. The Empire’ is a battle between ‘al-Sha3eb’ (the people) and generations of empires, occupiers, enforcers, and dictators. The stop-motion video is projected onto a digitally printed canvas, a montaged photographic depiction of Roman ruins amphitheaters found in much of the Levantine countries of the Middle East and parts of North Africa. The female protagonist, a boxer, enters uniformed in the pan Arab colors, ready for her fight with the ‘Dark Force’ of the tyrannical empire. The video suggests elements of superhero cartoons, fantasy, science fiction, and sports drama.
Lightbox
vs. The Father
vs. The Lover
The Suitor, 22 in x 42 in, digital archival print, 2011
The Believer, 22 in x 42 in, digital archival print, 2011
The Provider, 22 in x 42 in, digital archival print, 2011
The Betrayer, 22 in x 42 in, digital archival print, 2011
The Closer, 22 in x 42 in, digital archival print, 2011
vs. The Brother
‘vs. The Brother’ examines the rearing of opposite gender siblings in Middle Eastern society as they move into adulthood. The video explores the idea of freedom and expectations of opposite genders; both are pressured into accelerated maturities and responsibilities, yet both are trapped in their narrowly defined roles. In the video, a race car going round in circles (known as ‘drifting’ or ‘donuts’) is juxtaposed with a veiled woman who is climbing, spinning and almost disappearing along a black silk-rope. At one point the driver steps out and then allows his car to complete a full turn unmanned before he jumps back behind the wheel; he too practically disappears amongst the car’s rising smoke. The contrasting spinning movements of the airborne female alongside her male counterpart suggest she is stifled by the veil and social restrictions, but still seeks the same freedoms. Ultimately, both are trapped in the repetitive and circular performance of society’s expectations, continuing the cycle of social norms of acceptability. The work is a social observation on men in the Middle East who find their masculinity in risky and destructive ways amidst stifling economic, social, and political conditions. Amateur car stunts are a popular pastime of the Arab male youth, from the streets of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia to Ramallah in Palestine, where this video was shot.
