mounir fatmi Morocco, b. 1970
129 x 87 cm. Framed.
“Dead or Alive” is a painting that gives the view on the enlarged image of a skull with remarkable hairiness. This striking bearded vanity is accompanied by a quote from mounir fatmi’s art manifesto “If words were free without history.” The work echoes in particular Tete Hard, a wall painting depicting a skull adorned with Arabic and religious calligraphy, made in 2005. The work reflects on the relationship of the individual with religious discourse and language in general. The quote from the manifesto refers to the artist’s linguistic conceptions and his research on language. Mounir fatmi’s works observe that words and signs are charged with ideology and express the desire for a language that regains its freedom, its critical powers and its autonomy.