Iaali speaks of her own artistic process of her sculptural work, ‘Sweetly Moulded’. “This work is based on the moulds that Lebanese sweets that are around after a special occasion after Ramadan called Eid. You make sweets from these wooden moulds and so I took the shape of those moulds and I just changed what was in there, so I’ve put the women that repetitively make these sweets back into the moulds.
It is making a comment that sometimes we’re shaped or moulded to be a certain way as opposed to being individuals. A lot of these were inspired by photographs of my Mother, my Auntie; they’re quite symbolic and quite abstract, but it’s meant to be a bit playful at the same time.” She describes how each of the moulds are made of hand cut mirror perspex, which reflects the image of the viewer, “It’s like coming out of the mould.”
PERFORMANCES............................................................................... The exhibition also features free performances, talks and workshops every Sunday until July 8. Artistic director of the Suara Indonesia dance group, Alfira O’Sullivan performs and teaches traditional Acehnese sitting dances at the exhibition. Her performances feature vibrant, colourful costumes and driving rhythms. The dance starts with O’Sullivan kneeling on stage before the audience. Her partner Murtala is singing accompaniment and laying down a rapid rhythm. O’Sullivan performs the traditional body percussion which involves rhythmically clapping and clicking, using her hands chest, thighs and the floor in front of her. One by one members of her troupe join her on stage, kneeling in a line and perform the dance in synchronisation, not once missing a beat as the tempo increases. Think of the clapping game, patty-cake, but on a vastly higher level of elegance and aesthetic.
ABOVE Detail of Zeina Iaali, Sweetly Moulded, hand cut Perspex and gold leaf, 2012