Meriem Bennani: Umbrella Twist, 2022 / Art Basel 2024 Unlimited
Meriem Bennani: Umbrella Twist, 2022. Clearing, Lodovico Corsini at Art Basel 2024 Unlimited. Basel (Switzerland), June 13, 2024.
Official description: Umbrella Twist is a mechanical work by Meriem Bennani, combining sculpture and video to evoke a parasol or a cartoon-like palm tree caught in a storm. A geometric screen reminiscent of 90s arcades blasts a video featuring acidic hues, psychedelic characters, and an operatic soundtrack. This audiovisual barrage, coupled with the work’s unpredictable swaying, destabilizes the viewer’s senses. The animation follows a female character performing the polemical Moroccan cultural phenomenon of ‘Routini Lyawmi,’ where everyday domestic scenes are shared on social media with suggestive and erotic intent. Autobiographical elements, hints to celebrities, and memories of teleshopping channels are also interwoven throughout. Employing not only sculptural prowess but also wry humor, cartoonish animations and symbolism, UMBRELLA TWIST reveals stark offline realities.
Meriem Bennani (born 1988 in Rabat, Morocco) unfolds her practice across a broad spectrum of media including films, installations, and immersive environments, confronting references to globalized consumer and popular culture with the vernacular of her native Moroccan traditions and aesthetics. Bennani lives and works in New York.
Official description: Umbrella Twist is a mechanical work by Meriem Bennani, combining sculpture and video to evoke a parasol or a cartoon-like palm tree caught in a storm. A geometric screen reminiscent of 90s arcades blasts a video featuring acidic hues, psychedelic characters, and an operatic soundtrack. This audiovisual barrage, coupled with the work’s unpredictable swaying, destabilizes the viewer’s senses. The animation follows a female character performing the polemical Moroccan cultural phenomenon of ‘Routini Lyawmi,’ where everyday domestic scenes are shared on social media with suggestive and erotic intent. Autobiographical elements, hints to celebrities, and memories of teleshopping channels are also interwoven throughout. Employing not only sculptural prowess but also wry humor, cartoonish animations and symbolism, UMBRELLA TWIST reveals stark offline realities.
Meriem Bennani (born 1988 in Rabat, Morocco) unfolds her practice across a broad spectrum of media including films, installations, and immersive environments, confronting references to globalized consumer and popular culture with the vernacular of her native Moroccan traditions and aesthetics. Bennani lives and works in New York.