About the Work
This photograph by Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum was commissioned for Artists Space in 1997. Though less menacing or controversial than some of her work, it demonstrates her interest in disrupting the idea of the home and what it means. Here it is difficult to tell whether the birds are on the exterior, merely objects of observation, or on the interior, where they would become more of a threat.
About the Artist
Despite being a Palestinian, female artist, Mona Hatoum resists the simplified interpretation of her ambitious, provocative work as a political tool. However, Hatoum has been consistently passionate about the body and its mechanics. Her seminal 1994 piece, Le Corps Etranger, is a video installation consisting of images collected by cameras inserted into the various orifices of her own body. This work earned her a nomination for the prestigious Turner Prize the following year.
Hatoum recalls that she first viewed images of Western art in the back of her dictionary as a child. Although she drew incessantly, her father forbade her from studying art and encouraged her decision to study graphic design instead. After a number of years in an advertising career, Hatoum finally chose to pursue her dream of studying art in London in the 1970s. Since then, she has doggedly produced the poignant video, performance, and sculptural projects that have established her place in contemporary art.
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