Tarek al Ghoussein: In Absentia
- Works on Paper, The Third Line Gallery, Dubai; Page One Publishing, Singapore; 2008
- 148p; 25x33cm
A Palestinian born in Kuwait and based in the UAE, much of Tarek Al-Ghoussein's work deals with how his identity is shaped in a context of inaccessibility and loss. In many of his photographs the artist is dwarfed by a vast desert landscape, reconstructing allegories for the obstacles, barricades and walls erected in the Occupied Territories. The book includes foreword by Jack Persekian (artistic director of the Sharjah Biennale) as well as several commissioned essays by several key writers: Hamid Dabashi (writer and chair at Columbia University), Emily Jacir (fellow artist), Suzanne Cotter (Senior Curator at Modern Art Oxford), Antonia Carver (critic, writer and coeditor of Bidoun) and Kevin Mitchell (architect). Published by PageOne on behalf of Works on Paper by The Third Line, this hard-cover book has 150 pages and over 60 full cover plates. In Absentia was launched during Al-Ghoussein s exhibition at The Third Line in February 2009. In Absentia in Arabic is being published with the support of the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture. Photographs by Tarek Al Ghoussein. Texts: Tarek Al Ghoussein, Hamid Dabashi, Jack Persekian, Emily Jacir, Antonia Carver, Suzanne Cotter, Kevin Mitchell.