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Catalog Data

Maker:
Chant Avedissian, 1951-2018, born Egypt  Search this
Medium:
Mixed media on corrugated cardboard, cloth
Dimensions:
H x W: 247.6 x 149.7 cm (97 1/2 x 58 15/16 in.)
Type:
Painting
Geography:
Egypt
Date:
ca. 1994
Label Text:
In this assembly Avedissian combines painted stencil images from recent history with pharaonic icons. The Cataract Hotel, a well-known, "romantic" hotel in Aswan frequented by many writers, is pictured above Anubis, an ancient mortuary deity Avedissian simply calls "the dog" (kelab). Anubis is most often depicted with the head of a jackal. Here, borrowing from a painting found in a burial chamber at Deir-el-Medineh, Thebes, Avedissian inverts the image of Anubis standing over the mummy of Sennedjem, a high-ranking official in the court of Rameses II (1279-1213 B.C.). The mosquito fan (menasha) serves as an icon denoting colonial presence and imperialist interests in ancient Egyptian monuments. With the two shadowy figures in a doorway, Avedissian makes a telling reference to "The Mummy," a well-known film by director Shadi Abd El Salam. The story, chronicling the exploits of a family of antique smugglers, allows Avedissian to further highlight the hold ancient Egyptian imagery has over Western ideas of Egypt.
The side panels contain images ranging from the mundane to the sacred. Vegetables appear alongside an ibis, a sacred bird identified with Thoth, the god of the moon and patron deity of scribes and writing. The artist's juxtaposition of these elements allows for clever plays of meaning. For example, the stealth plane flying over a toy plane on the right panel poignantly addresses the effects of Gulf War realities on everyday life in the region. An object as ubiquitous as sunglasses calls to mind Om Kalsoum's famous accoutrement as well as the images of mass tourism.
Exhibition History:
Chant Avedissian: A Contemporary Artist of Egypt, National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., November 19, 2000-February 19, 2001
Published References:
Hornbeck, S.E. 2013 Intersection Conservation Approaches to Ethnographic and Contemporary Art: Ephermeral Art at the National Museum of African Art. AIC Objects Specialty Group Postprings, vol 20, pp 213.
Hornbeck, Stephanie E. 2009. "A Conservation Conundrum: Ephemeral Art at the National Museum of African Art." African Arts 42 (3), p. 55, no. 5.
Content Statement:
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Image Requests:
High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
Credit Line:
Purchased with funds provided by the Smithsonian Collections Acquisition Program
Object number:
96-20-1.1
Restrictions & Rights:
Usage conditions apply
See more items in:
National Museum of African Art Collection
Data Source:
National Museum of African Art
GUID:
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ys77870c0c1-89c4-4453-ba05-fe05598b1e3d
EDAN-URL:
edanmdm:nmafa_96-20-1.1