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«Law & Order» at Kulturfolger

Collaborative Show by Ruba Al-Sweel, Persia Beheshti and Shamiran Istifan, July 3 until July 25, 2021

Artists

Persia Beheshti, Ruba Al-Sweel, Shamiran Istifan

Institution

Kulturfolger

Location

Zurich

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Press release (PDF)

Exhibition View Ruba Al-Sweel, Persia Beheshti, Shamiran Istifan, Collaborative Show «Law & Order» at Kulturfolger, Zurich, 2021 / Photo: Anna Maysuk / Courtesy: the artists and Kulturfolger

"Law & Order" at Kulturfolger is a collaborative exhibition by Ruba Al-Sweel, Persia Beheshti, and Shamiran Istifan that serves as a laboratory for controlled experiments with the supernatural. It explores multi-spherical cross-pollination and new orders and systems of belief, giving birth to new subjectivities that challenge the limits of the material world. The exhibition delves into the imaginal realm where jinn, beings of flame and air, disrupt the natural order and manifest in various forms with the ability to influence and possess. Language itself reflects the influence of jinn, with colloquialisms linking feelings of possession to love.

The exhibition delves into old folkloric tales of jinn from the Arabian Peninsula, cautioning against looking at oneself naked in the mirror due to the jinn's manipulation abilities. Stories of jinn interacting with humans reveal a complex relationship between the spiritual and material worlds, with lessons to be learned from these supernatural beings. The exhibition challenges the predictability of the Enlightenment era and neoliberal ideologies, embracing the ineffable and intuitive energies that cannot be contained in formulae.

Themes of biblical transcendence and the desire to exit the body are explored in the exhibition, reflecting on the religious impulse to transcend physical limitations. Knowledge of the jinn world is intertwined with urban legends and family lore, offering a mix of mystical intrigue and epistemological uncertainty. The concept of disembodiment emerges as a source of relief amidst the complexities of the supernatural world.

sponsors

Exhibition View Ruba Al-Sweel, Persia Beheshti, Shamiran Istifan, Collaborative Show «Law & Order» at Kulturfolger, Zurich, 2021 / Photo: Anna Maysuk / Courtesy: the artists and Kulturfolger