Letter To The Father
Uncategorized10 November – 30 December, 2021
Reminiscent of Islamic manuscript layout design, Chaza Charafeddine copies in her own handwriting Franz Kafka’s letter to his father, a letter that never reached him.
In an attempt to write to her father, the artist traps the viewer into her own doubts, questions the communication between daughter and father, and destabilizes the original father/son conflict. As such, the artist touches upon the fears inherent in a long-lost communication. After all, a letter never written is a letter never received but is a letter written always received?
“Letter to the Father” reveals an interest in appropriating visual elements from the past by subverting Kafka’s original German letter, copying it in Arabic, and presenting it in different forms.
Chaza Charafeddine is an artist and writer. She studied special education at La Branche – Centre de formation en pédagogie curative et sociothérapie in Switzerland, and Eurhythmy dance at the Eurythmieschule – Hamburg in Germany. After exploring the fields of education and dance for 15 years, she turned to photography and writing. Her photographic works were shown in numerous galleries and artistic venues in Lebanon and abroad. In 2012 Dar Al-Saqi, Beirut has published her first novella Flashback and in 2015 her short-story collection Haqibatun Bilkade Tura. Chaza Charafeddine is represented by Agial Art/Saleh Barakat Gallery.
The exhibition is a collaboration between Mina Image Centre and Saleh Barakat Gallery.
Curated by Manal Khader
Artist book special edition: Nathalie Elmir and Fouad El Khoury
Sound design: Rana Eid – DB Studio
Lighting: Moustapha Yamout
Text: Alya Karame
Audio: Chaza Charafeddine, Nathalie Elmir and Fouad El Khoury
Dates: 10th November – 30 December, 2021
Times: Thursday – Saturday 12 – 5pm
Admission is free.
Please respect Covid distancing rules and wear your mask.
Special thanks to: Fouad El Khoury, Marita Sbeih – DB Studio, Mohamed Al Mufti, and Hazem Saghieh
