KADER ATTIA TURNS FRAGILE FORMS INTO POWERFUL STATEMENTS
The current exhibit at the Henry Art Gallery is Attia's first in the U.S., organized by chief curator Elizabeth Brown. Attia's reputation precedes him in this country, not because he's a rising star in Europe, but because of widely circulated photos of his work. At the Henry, Attia re-created "Ghost," an installation of 150 kneeling figures made of aluminum foil; "Rochers Carres," an evocation of a concrete beach; "Oil and Sugar 2," a DVD projection; and an untitled table with a few plastic bags on its surface -- blue, pink, white and covered in advertising. "Ghost" is great in reproduction, especially when viewed from the front, where kneeling figures lift their heads and reveal themselves as empty sacks.
It is meant to be anonymous and fragile, and it's powerful for that reason. "Rochers Carres" memorializes no fallen. It's a bittersweet homage to a man-made beach in Algeria that Attia visited as a child. The video, "Oil and Sugar #2," opens with a pristine white fortress that falls apart after greasy black motor oil is poured on it. Metaphorical meanings are clear, but what makes the piece is the lightness of its delivery. I love the plastic sacks on a plywood table, each nearly as light as the air. Each is a gesture, a momentarily frozen dance of a lowly material, a thing resting before being swept up again in the wind. Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast 41st Street; 206-543-2280. henryart.org. (Regina Hackett, Seattle PI)
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