Mounir Ayache’s (b. 1991, FR/MA) technological creations cast an unfamiliar light on the political and social realities of the Arab world. By envisioning alternate futures, Ayache proposes an image of the Arab world radically different from those circulated in the West. His sci-fi approach weaves together family histories, fictionalised re-appropriations of experiences and Arab identities. These traits situate Ayache within the unofficial movement of Arabfuturism, which derives its name from the Afrofuturism movement in the 90s. Both Afro and Arabfuturism are characterised by a turn to fiction that allows us to imagine vastly different realities. Ayache knowingly deploys the tropes of “oriental sci-fi” in order to parody the way Western fictions represent “Others” and “Foreigners”. In addition to drawing on the codes of the sci-fi genre, his use of technology blurs the boundaries between contemporary art and entertainment.
Mounir Ayache, Khadija, 2020
Mixed media installation, projection, Kawasaki robotic arm
Commissioned by Manifesta 13 Marseille
Produced in collaboration with Triangle France – Astérides
Jewelry : Anaïs Hilaire
Co-writing and translation : Syrine Chekili
Technique : Mounir Ayache and Paul Taine
Supported by Drosos Foundation and Kawasaki
Courtesy of the artist
The installation Khadija evolves over the course of the exhibition, exploring different viewing temporalities and experiences. It revolves around a short science fiction film instigated by elements of the artist’s family history as well as events in the MENA region. The work draws on science–fiction aesthetics as a way of transporting current issues into another space and time, thus opening up new perspectives on our present.
The first scene is set in the Boisselot library: Khadija, the heroin of the film, battles a superior entity for her freedom. She lies down and talks with an artificial intelligence, challenging its authority and the world it created. As she awakes from a coma, and her memories only return step by step, we gradually discover her world: a dystopian society where an artificial intelligence enforces military measures helped by the faction that Khadija is part of. A dialog starts—each of the two protagonists incarnates a different understanding and political vision of the world they inhabit. For a month, this first scene will be filmed and broadcasted live on the projection screen.
As new scenes are shot, the installation evolves. The heroine continues her search for her lost self and an alternate society. The projection will be supplemented by the new scenes, in addition to the ones being played out in real time, and the installation keeps growing throughout the entire biennial. In the final phase, the entire short film will be publicly screened.
* Work conceived for the occasion of Manifesta 13 Marseille
Produced in collaboration with Triangle France – Astérides
