Bourj by Mona Hatoum
Balançoires (2010) are two glass swings with the map of Beirut carved onto the seats and are parts of the Mona Hatoum’s New York exhibition Bourj. With distance and coldness, the artist works with common objects to reveal the power mechanisms, but also interrogating more specifically the notion of control of violence by states and institutions (symbolic or effective). This work could be an insidious echo to the current situation in middle-east, in the grip of movement, instability and precariousness. Bourj by Mona Hatoum is on view until April 28 at Alexander and Bonin, 132 Tenth Avenue, New York. Photo and Text Pierre-Alexandre Mateos