Tarek Zaki
(b. 1975, RIYADH, Saudi Arabia)

*BCADY2K (dig-it-al)/USB*, 2006. Polyester and metal.   Documenting the new world: a review of Middle Eastern representation in the 53rd Venice Biennale
*BCADY2K (dig-it-al)/USB*, 2006. Polyester and metal.   Monument X, 2007, Cement, plaster, metal carcass and
spray paint. Installation shot, Townhouse gallery, Cairo.

Tarek Zaki's (1975) recent work deals with such themes as the passage of time, memory and the presentation of history and the past. His recent shows include: Mythologies, Haunch of Venison, London, 2009; Museum as Hub, the New Museum, New York, 2008; New Ends Old Beginnings, Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool, 2008; Monument X, Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, 2007; Out of Place, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Beirut, 2007. Zaki is represented by Townhouse Gallery, Cairo, and Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Beirut/Hamburg. He lives and works in Cairo and New York.

Stephanie Sykes: You were born in Saudi Arabia, raised in Cairo and have lived across Europe and the United States through various artist residencies. How do you feel geography has shaped your practice, if at all?

Tarek Zaki: We look for differences when we travel, and we always expect them. But I think after traveling around a bit, I started looking for what is common, what unites humans rather than what is different. Traveling made me look for what is universal. In my work I was never concerned with things that are very specific, geographically or ethnically. I (try to) create works that are relevant to you, to me, and to people in China. You don’t need to know much about the history of Egypt or the region, for example, in order to understand my work. Taking part in different residency programs in different cities helped in broadening my vision. Some cities were very inspiring; some were very boring! What interests me more is, what is a city? How so we interact with it and shape it? I was in Dubai last year, then few months later I visited Liverpool. It was extremely interesting to see how these two very different cities- both filled by cranes and strange-looking architecture- are reshaping and growing.

SS: The dominant aesthetic in your work alludes to the ancient, or at least relics of the ancient, but your practice is very much steeped in contemporary discourse. What do you hope this allusion to history achieves in your installations? Do you ever hope a viewer looks at your work and perceives the present or future instead of the past?

TZ: I am always keen on diffusing timelines. The ancient and the contemporary, future and past. As I was saying about looking for what is common when traveling, I do the same in my work: time-traveling. In one of my projects, BCADY2K (dig-it-al), I created a huge USB stick- about 180cm in length. The familiar USB symbol becomes reminiscent of the ancient languages and signs. I want my objects to carry all the time tenses at once -- to evoke the past, present and future. I regard the piece successful if I see it does so. I achieve this by the way the surface is treated, accelerating time, like in Time Machine: Remembering Tomorrow, by changing the context of the object, as I did with the USB stick, or by keeping things ambiguous, where the viewer has no clue as to what time tense we are in (Monument X). To me time is a great mystery and the very core of existence. I try to get rid of time and see what happens. "When" doesn’t always matter; you need to strip things of any extras ("when") in order to see things more clearly. You can say my work is an archive where dates are not very important.

SS: What are your thoughts about the sudden spotlight on the Middle Eastern art market? Is it beneficial for artists living in the region or does it create a pigeonhole that has an adverse affect on artistic production? How does your own practice fit into this?

TZ: At the beginning of that boom in the market, and the exaggerated interest in art from the Middle East, I expected to get little attention from dealers, collectors and curators because my work isn’t exactly "Arab", nor does it deal with Middle Eastern issues such as Islam, (lack of) democracy, etc. Many curators know almost nothing about the Middle East, yet they curate shows about the Middle East. They spend little time researching. They are too insecure to do something that wouldn’t meet people’s expectations or the familiar clichés. The show at Saatchi in London, presenting a collection of Middle Eastern artworks -titled Unveiled!- is an example of how bad it can get. And it’s 'curated' by a collector. Some collectors are interested in geography rather than art. They are interested in the country where the artist is from, rather than the artist himself.

Since selling is very important for the artist, it becomes a risk that the artist might try to cope with the market trends. I eventually did get some attention from curators and collectors, but I am glad it was not based on my nationality. I try to avoid shows that are based on geography and cultural stereotypes. I do not work for the market, and many of my projects are ephemeral or not purchasable.

SS: The idea of international curators not having the knowledge, or perhaps the confidence, to curate a Middle Eastern show is an interesting one since curating is such an underrepresented practice in the region. Do you not feel that shows like "Unveiled" lend to developing an education about the region, even if you feel the show itself lacks the required knowledge?

TZ: I think when a guru like Saatchi or a large institution organises a show, its impact is much more than that. Such shows merely deepen the problem and put labels on artists, keeping them pigeonholed. An "education" about the region is only developed when there is a balance of well considered projects and stereotyped ones -- that's if we must have stereotyped ones.

SS: Have you ever worked with a Middle Eastern curator?

TZ: I have worked with curators who have lived in the region for a long time. They are not promoting stereotypes nor are they too lazy to research. Two of the projects included artists from the Middle East: New Ends, Old Beginnings in Liverpool and Collection Dubai at SMART Project Space, Amsterdam, both curated by November Paynter.

The former, for example, dealt with the region's complex conditions by exploring how different countries deal with history, heritage, and culture. It recognises the diversity and complexity of the region. Cairo is not Dubai is not Baghdad. The latter exhibition deals with the notion of collecting. All the artists in that show are part of APT Dubai, hence the title. Dubai is a place that tries to collect and represent (copies of) everything, think of "The World" islands.

SS: And if you were to buy one of the countries on The World?

TZ: I think I will take the country with the least political issues. You don't want to get a headache, it's a resort after all!

Time Machine: Remembering Tomorrow, 2004-07, Polyester, stone, plaster and vitrines.
Installation shot, Galerie Sfeir-Semler, Beirut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* To learn more about Tarek Zaki, visit www.tarekzaki.net

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