The Dead Weight of a Quarrel Hangs: Selections from The Atlas Group Archive

Since 1999, this provocative Lebanese- American artist has been building an archive of audio, visual and literary documents - some fiction, some fact - known as The Atlas Group, a fictional foundation that documents the spiraling cycles of violence in contemporary Lebanon, while calling into question the veracity of accepted sources.

This, the first exhibition of the Atlas Group's work to be shown in Houston, includes two series of photographs (My neck is thinner than a hair: Engines, 2003, and We decided to let them say, "we are convinced" twice. It was more convincing this way., 1986-2006) and two video projections (I only wish that I could weep, 2002, and Hostage: The Bachar Tapes, 2000).

The works deal with perceptions and memories of living in a war-torn country, and all blur the boundary between fiction and non-fiction, challenging viewers to take responsibility for what they believe. Raad's work has been featured in Documenta, the Venice Biennale, the Whitney Biennial Exhibition and numerous other presentations in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. He is associate professor of art at The Cooper Union, New York.

Glassell School of Art

Venue:
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Address:
1001 Bissonnet
Houston, TX 77005

Phone:
713-639-7300

URL:
http://www.mfah.org/

Start Date:
September 12, 2008

End Date:
November 23, 2008