Responses to an immigration request from one hundred and ninety four governments
9.17 – 10.17
Sutton Gallery (Melbourne)
Installation view of the exhibition
Solo show by the Cairo-born, Melbourne-based artist. Forming an analysis of global immigration laws and trends, the project began, as the title suggests, when Ishak sent a letter to 194 governments requesting citizenship, and received 97 replies. These responses included formal letters outlining immigration procedures, welcoming replies encouraging relocation, as well as suspicious responses demanding further explanations. The result is an exhibition of 194 paintings, each depicting a country’s flag in muted tones emphasizing certain characteristics, juxtaposed with an abbreviated Arabic transcript of that government’s response (or lack of response) to the artist’s request.
Information
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