Evaporating Suns - Hatje Cantz

A two-column table of contents for a publication, set against a plain white background. The word Contents is in large, bold black font at the top left. Each entry features a large, bold page number, followed by the author's name and the title of their work. The entries are grouped into sections, including Chapter 1: The Local Natural & Built Environment, Chapter 2: Social Arrangements & Structures, and Chapter 3: Perspective Negotiations.

A two-page spread from a publication for the exhibition Evaporating Suns by Munira Al Sayegh, Founder of Dirwaza Curatorial Lab. A small color photograph shows Al Sayegh, a woman with dark curly hair in a black coat, standing with arms crossed. Surrounding the image are four columns of text describing the exhibition's themes.

A two-page book spread for the artwork Barren Spring by Mashael Alsaie. On the left is text describing the work. On the right are three images: a large photo of a clear, amorphous glass sculpture with bubbles inside, resting on green moss. Below are two smaller photos showing the glassmaking process; one of molten orange glass on a rod and another of a finished, amber-colored glass piece on a workshop floor.

A page from an art publication with a large, colorful photograph on the left and columns of text to the right and below. The photograph is a still life of numerous tangerines, some whole and some peeled, arranged on a table covered with a blue and green patterned cloth. The table is set against a solid, deep blue background. A few small, decorative vessels are placed among the fruit.

A still from a video installation showing a woman's face and shoulders as she looks directly at the viewer. A colorful, pixelated image is projected onto her and the background. A wide, vertical blue stripe runs down the center of her face, and a golden, ornate pattern covers her chest like a collar. Behind her, the projection creates a pair of large, stylized wings against a bright blue background.

A close-up photograph shows several people gathered around a table preparing pomegranates. The person in the center wears a white apron stained with red juice and holds half of a pomegranate that has been broken open. The table is covered with whole pomegranates, scattered red seeds, and pieces of rind.

A photorealistic charcoal drawing in black and white. The image is a close-up, cropped view of a person wearing a t-shirt, sitting at a table. Their head is not visible. On the table in front of them are a pair of eyeglasses and a small, double-walled glass cup with a dark beverage on a saucer.

A photograph of an opulent living room with bright blue walls and patterned furniture. A man in a white thobe and ghutra sits on a blue sofa, his face completely obscured by a large, dense cloud of vapor from a vape pen he is holding. To the right, another person in a vibrant purple kaftan is partially visible. In the foreground is a coffee table with a large, colorful bouquet of flowers.

A photograph in a book shows an art installation on a white wall. Several pieces of pale, peach-colored fabric with different textures, including lace and waffle weave, hang from small rings in a scattered grid pattern, casting soft shadows.

An interior view of a modern art gallery with bright pink walls and a pink tiled floor. The room features various paintings, a red chaise lounge, and a sculpture of a headless, armless human lower body crawling on the ground.

A two-page magazine spread with an article written in Arabic. The left page features a large, bold headline, while the rest of the spread contains columns of body text against a plain white background.

A two-page magazine spread in Arabic titled أم النار by فرح القاسمي. On the right, two photographs are stacked above a text block. The top photo shows a person in a colorful floral covering sitting on a hill in front of a large purple sign that reads UM AL NAAR, overlooking a body of water and a city. The bottom photo is a close-up of a person holding a smartphone, which displays an image of a red, edible-looking rose.

A page from a book with Arabic text on the right and a large close-up photograph on the left. The photo shows an off-white, finely pleated fabric with an intricate vertical texture, which is gathered into soft, tubular ruffles along the top edge.

A page from a publication featuring Arabic text on the left side. The right side displays three rectangular photographs of a blue sky. The largest image shows a vibrant sky with numerous crisscrossing white contrails. Above it are two smaller images, one of a clear sky and another with thin, wispy clouds.

Evaporating Suns

Contemporary Myths from the Arabian Gulf

€ 48.00

VAT included. Shipping costs will be calculated at checkout

Edited by: Kulturstiftung Basel H. Geiger

May 2023, 240 Pages, 200 Photos

Hardcover

226mm x 296mm

ISBN: 978-3-7757-5444-6

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

According to Article 9(7) of the GPSR Regulation, no additional security information is required for books without supplements or special functions.

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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/German.

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