“Memory is not an objective picture of the past, but a construction, that is constantly changing through repetition and re-evaluation”. – Pianka & Suschnig
“Traces of Nostalgia” is a multidisciplinary exhibition featuring work by Kuwaiti product designer Hanadi Al Marzouq that rethinks the phenomena of collective memory and lost heritage as a result of the oil legacy.
While the discovery of oil has been a catalyst for modernization, it has also been a reflection of memory and loss. The abundance of consumer goods that oil industry wealth imported into the country transformed the material culture, making locally crafted objects become seemingly irrelevant. This also affected the country’s infrastructure, leading to the abandonment and demolition of original homes and towns, resulting in a state of impermanence and imbalance.
This exhibition aims to highlight the imbalance that resulted from the sudden flow of oil wealth and consumerism, as well as examining the shift of gender roles during this period of modernity. What if our heritage crafts and their narratives were recontextualized to fit today’s world? How would these alternative narratives allow us to revive our collective memory of a fading past?
Using an array of media, including textiles, video, and installation art, “Traces of Nostalgia,” invites the viewer to reflect on the importance of preserving our heritage as it slowly dissipates; an indirect call-to-action for an awakening.
Curator: Shahad Bishara
