Coverbild Evaporating Suns
A table of contents page titled Inhalt, in German. The page has a two-column layout on a white background. The left column lists bold page numbers and author names, while the right column lists the corresponding titles in German and English. The content is divided into three main chapters, followed by sections for biographies, thanks, and a map.
A page from a German publication with the headline Evaporating Suns and Munira Al Sayegh. In the center is a photo of Munira Al Sayegh, a woman with dark curly hair, wearing a dark coat with her arms crossed, standing in front of bookshelves and a colorful painting. The page is filled with columns of German text.
A two-page magazine spread for an art piece titled Barren Spring by Mashael Alsaie. The page is mostly German text, with three images on the right. The largest image shows a clear, organically shaped glass sculpture with bubbles inside, resting on green moss. Below are two smaller images depicting the glassblowing process: one of glowing, molten orange glass and another of a finished, yellowish sculpture on a rod.
An open book showing a two-page spread with German text. The left page features a large color photograph of a still life. On a table with a blue and green patterned cloth, dozens of tangerines, some peeled, are arranged with several sculptural vases against a solid, deep blue background.
A still from a video installation shows a portrait of a woman with a pixelated image projected onto her and the wall behind. The projection creates a wide blue stripe down the center of her face, a gold star on her throat, and ornate patterns on her chest. In the background, large, stylized wings in white and gold are projected against a blue screen.
A close-up, dimly lit photo shows a group of people gathered around a white table. A person in the center wears a stained white apron and holds a pomegranate that has been broken open, revealing the red seeds. The table is covered with other whole and broken pomegranates, with scattered seeds and peels.
A two-page book spread, with a realistic, grainy black and white drawing on the right page. The drawing shows a person in a t-shirt sitting at a table. In the foreground, a pair of eyeglasses and a double-walled glass with a dark drink rest on the tabletop.
A man in a white thobe and headdress sits on an ornate blue sofa, his face completely hidden by a massive cloud of white vapor from a vape pen he is holding. He is in a lavishly decorated room with bright blue walls, a landscape painting, patterned rugs, and a coffee table with a large, colorful bouquet of flowers. To the right, another person in a purple and blue robe is partially visible.
An art installation on a white gallery wall featuring several pieces of pale, peach-colored fabric. The textiles, which have varied woven and crocheted textures, are hung in a grid-like pattern from small metal rings, casting soft shadows. Some of the fabrics have darker, mottled stains.
An interior view of a modern art gallery with vibrant pink walls and floors. Various paintings hang on the walls, and a red chaise lounge sits in the background. In the center of the room is a rough-textured sculpture of a headless human torso with legs, posed as if it is crawling.
A two-page spread from an open book with Arabic text. The right page features a large, bold, sans-serif headline at the top. Both pages are laid out in two columns of smaller, serif body text on a plain white background.
A two-page magazine spread with Arabic text on the right page under the titles Um Al Nar and Farah Al Qasimi. The left page features two photos: the top one shows a person in a floral garment before a large UM AL NAAR sign overlooking a coastal city, and the bottom one is a close-up of hands holding a phone displaying a rose-shaped dessert.
A page from a book featuring Arabic text on the right and a large image on the left. The image is a close-up of a delicate, cream-colored fabric with fine vertical pleats and a gathered, ruffled top edge.
A two-page spread from a book in Arabic. The left page contains blocks of text under a title. The right page displays three images of a bright blue sky. The largest image at the bottom shows the sky crisscrossed by numerous white contrails, while two smaller images above show a clear sky and a sky with wispy clouds.
Evaporating Suns
Zeitgenössische Mythen vom Arabischen Golf
€ 48.00
VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout
Author: Verena Formanek
Designed by: Mobius Studio, Sharjah
Edited by: Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger
May 2023, 240 Pages, 200 Photos
Hardcover
224mm x 296mm
ISBN: 978-3-7757-5443-9

HATJE CANTZ VERLAG
Mommsenstr. 27
10629 Berlin
Germany
E-Mail: contact@hatjecantz.de


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Exploring Parallel Realities through Myths
Evaporating Suns explores myths from the Arabian Gulf through contemporary art. Based on the concept that the mythical and the factual are like two sides of the same coin, the catalogue accompanying the exhibition shows that myths do not simply convey fictions, but are also capable of presenting truth much more vividly than statistics and facts ever could. The publication showcases the work of 13 contemporary artists from the Arabian peninsula, who explore the folklore and popular myths of their homelands, and use cynicism, satire, and fiction to build their universes and rewrite the parallel history of their contemporary societies. Completed by essays by authors from the region, myths are seen here as opportunities for a new approach to the negotiation of current issues such as the environment, gender, and social structures of power.

This book is also available in Arabic/English.

Founded in 2018 by the artist Sibylle Piermattei-Geiger and her husband Rocco Piermattei, KULTURSTIFTUNG BASEL H. GEIGER I KBH.G creates a cultural program with current political or cultural references. The Basel exhibition space hosts three topical art exhibitions a year, each of which goes beyond the concepts of established institutions.
EXHIBITION
Kulturstiftung Basel H.Geiger
May 11-July 16, 2023
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