RESISTANCE[S] II

RESISTANCE[S] II, is the second volume of this collection of experimental film and video art from the Middle East and North Africa. Featuring nine artists from a variety of cultural and discplinary backgrounds, these intimate, poetic and documentary works are witness to the region's complexity, vitality and diversity of creative energies. Distanced from the usual stereotypes, the artists aim to explore existential, political and aesthetic issues of our times while opening up to new narrative perspectives that break with our media's monotonous and repetitive imagery.

RESISTANCE[S] II, curated by Silke Schmickl and Christine Sehnaoui, presents a selection of experimental film and video art from the Middle East and North Africa.
Featuring nine artists from a variety of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, these intimate, poetic and documentary works are witness to the region's complexity, vitality and diversity of creative energies. Distanced from the usual stereotypes, the artists - Katia Kameli, Bouchra Khalili, Al Fadhil, Zineb Sedira, Joude Gorani, Nesrine Khodr, Pauline M'Barek, Jalal Toufic and Nassim Amaouche - aim to explore the existential, political and aesthetic issues of our times while opening up to new narrative perspectives that break with our media's monotonous and repetitive imagery.

The RESISTANCE[S] II films, beyond the covered themes, play with contextual relationships by blurring the notions of a here and there. The introduction of storytelling and narration proves the flexibility of the documentary format and reveals hidden pockets of reality with
unpredictable scenarios, failed aspiration or unimaginable futures.

"Creating is not communicating, but resisting (…) Art is what resists: it resists against death, servitude, infamy, shame." Inspired by this quotation of Gilles Deleuze (Pourparler, 1972-1990) and in the context of the tens political situation between the Arab and Western worlds, the idea of the RESISTANCE[S] collection was born in 2005. After extended research a first DVD was released in 2006 featuring eight experimental films. The release of RESISTANCE[S] II completes a collection that aims to become a veritable anthology of Arab cinematographic art.

The artists and filmmakers of RESISTANCE[S] II have a rich theoretical and practical background. In alternating established authors like Jayce Salloum, Zineb Sedira, Jalal Toufic and Mounir Fatmi with emerging artists like Waël Noureddine, Katia Kameli and Pauline M'Barek, this compilation stresses the importance of cinematographic art within contemporary Arab art. During the beginning of the 20th century, poets and novelists were among the more radical critics within the Arab world. Many of them took an active role in emerging socialist and feminist political movements. A number of Arab filmmakers started as writers. As video has become more accessible, it has taken up the role of the pen: a handy medium, portable, and if necessary, disposable, that has the ability to condense and express political situations in a personal manner.

The nine films of RESISTANCE[S] II are subtitled in 4 languages (English, French, German and Arabic) and enriched by interviews with the artists, biographies and an essay by Cédric Vincent.

RESISTANCE[S] II from Lowave on Vimeo.