Rabih Mroué (Beirut, Libano, 1967) stands out within the realm of so-called “political” art for the way he addresses the relationship between image, memory, and the representation of conflict. In much of contemporary art over the past decades, the image has increasingly come to reflect the binary and oppositional logic of war—consequently losing its evocative power and, paradoxically, its ability to make a lasting imprint on memory.
While images possess enormous power, caught in the spiral of reality and representation they often risk producing rhetorical narratives—serving more to reinforce ideological identities or “alternative facts” than to offer critical insight. At best, they may remain sensitive records, but still mere chronicles.
Opere in esposizione
For Mroué, exploring the image is not about representing conflict directly, but about addressing those who suffer its consequences. He speaks to the victims, offering alternative narratives that stimulate the imagination and expose the hypocrisy of official discourse. In this vision, art does not simply document—it becomes a means of escape from horror, and a critique of the spectacle-driven logic that also permeates the art world.
Like an archaeologist uncovering what time has concealed, Mroué uses gouache to open spaces for meaning. His images allude to what remains unseen, yet is implicit in the dynamics of hospitality: those who endure and those who impose, isolated gestures and systemic practices, individuals and peoples, the weak and the powerful, flesh and spirit.
Per visualizzare la pianta dell'esposizione, gira lo smartphone in posizione orizontale.
To view the exhibition floor plan, rotate your smartphone to landscape orientation.
