{"id":889,"date":"2010-07-01T13:33:24","date_gmt":"2010-07-01T18:33:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newyorkarttours.com\/blog\/?p=889"},"modified":"2011-08-01T13:39:56","modified_gmt":"2011-08-01T18:39:56","slug":"tala-madani-at-lombard-freid-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newyorkarttours.com\/blog\/2010\/07\/01\/tala-madani-at-lombard-freid-projects\/","title":{"rendered":"Tala Madani at Lombard-Freid Projects"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Tala Madani, "Reverse Alphabet, " 2009. Photograph courtesy of the artist and Lombard-Freid Projects, New York.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tala Madani<\/a>\u2019s solo show offers relief from the aggressive nastiness of her sadistic characters and their hellish world but, while the mood shift is palpable, it\u2019s still far from redemptive. Legions of tiny male nudes in neon colors on black canvas spelling out the letters of the alphabet are an irresistible lure.\u00a0 But when the letters form words and phrases like in Men R Hot with Fire <\/em>(2010) (where the \u2018t\u2019 is depicted on fire) or in XO with Stripes <\/em>(2010), they don\u2019t communicate brotherly love. Dehumanized by lack of distinguishing characteristics and gruesome contortions, the characters are no longer perpetrators of abuse; instead, responsibility for their treatment lies with the artist.<\/p>\n

Yet a stop-motion animation of a dancer \u2014 a standout from the show\u2019s other violent videos \u2014 suggests that Madani\u2019s inspiration comes in part from the human body\u2019s astonishing range of movement. This injection of sincerity into Madani\u2019s sinister world is counteracted by cautionary pieces like a giant composed of letters, Leviathan <\/em>(2010), who hints at the abusive power of language; and an eye exam chart populated by human letters, Eye Exam <\/em>(2009), which begs the question of what we really see in the world around us. Taking on communication itself as a subject matter, Madani keeps a critical eye while making a welcome break from the claustrophobic world of her past work, opening up promising new directions.<\/p>\n

Originally published in Flash Art International, no 272, May\/June 2010.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tala Madani\u2019s solo show offers relief from the aggressive nastiness of her sadistic characters and their hellish world but, while the mood shift is palpable, it\u2019s still far from redemptive. Legions of tiny male nudes in neon colors on black canvas spelling out the letters of the alphabet are an irresistible lure.\u00a0 But when the … <\/p>\n

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