A solo exhibition by Rasha Kahil
Self-Portraiture is a common and relatively old practice, a mirror where the artist faces the limits of his physicality through any chosen media. In Rasha Kahil’s In Your Home series, taken between 2008 and 2011,her lens is her mirror, her eye, yet leaving a large part of the work unpremeditated in these spontaneous and prompt moments by the camera.
Some photographs can turn out to be blurred, under/over exposed, but the artist’s body remains naked and defiant in these changing settings, and represents a constant in the body of work. This series captures the passing of time, the evolution of her body through weight fluctuation, hair color and cut, tanning marks, her tattoos adding up...
Kahil invites the viewer to closely watch her appropriate people’s homes, although the home is foreign to her and doesn’t reflect any of the artist’s personality or taste, as one would expect in terms of self-portraiture. Her body adapts to the space through various positions: in cupboards, under tables or sinks, on beds and kitchen counters, behind doors, reflecting a “relaxed”posture in sunny,rainy or dark times.These performances reflect the power of her body over space and time, which places forward not only her body but also the woman that she is, in a strong reality and contemplation of our times.
Self-Portraiture is a common and relatively old practice, a mirror where the artist faces the limits of his physicality through any chosen media. In Rasha Kahil’s In Your Home series, taken between 2008 and 2011,her lens is her mirror, her eye, yet leaving a large part of the work unpremeditated in these spontaneous and prompt moments by the camera.
Some photographs can turn out to be blurred, under/over exposed, but the artist’s body remains naked and defiant in these changing settings, and represents a constant in the body of work. This series captures the passing of time, the evolution of her body through weight fluctuation, hair color and cut, tanning marks, her tattoos adding up...
Kahil invites the viewer to closely watch her appropriate people’s homes, although the home is foreign to her and doesn’t reflect any of the artist’s personality or taste, as one would expect in terms of self-portraiture. Her body adapts to the space through various positions: in cupboards, under tables or sinks, on beds and kitchen counters, behind doors, reflecting a “relaxed”posture in sunny,rainy or dark times.These performances reflect the power of her body over space and time, which places forward not only her body but also the woman that she is, in a strong reality and contemplation of our times.
When I have been left alone in someone’s house, or room, even if for a few fleeting minutes, I have whipped out my com- pact 35mm camera, and with the use of the self-timer, shot myself in the do- mestic space, without the host’s knowl- edge. I have used bedside tables, piles of books, or wardrobes as makeshift tripods, and placed myself in the domestic space through an intuitive and spontaneous choice of composition.
Through the act of photography, I create an overlap of the encountered domestic space and that of the displaced body, an overlap of two perceived ‘privates’. Ultimately, this communion will be rendered public through the confrontational exhibi- tion of the photographs of my intrusions.
Rasha Kahil