Ramzi Mallat

This sculpture is an emblematic representation of the widespread belief in the evil eye’s folkloric power to repel the envious gaze of the other. The artist toys with distorting this loaded symbol to reveal it not only as a marker of inequality but also a redresser of corruption in small-scale social groups, unraveling opaque histories and translating them as indicators of personal, social and political identities.

With a title that reinterprets the popular machiavellian idiom, this work questions the power sharing of hierarchical structures in relation to the seemingly infinite distribution of finite resources and the abuse of communitarian systems which relate to the bodily. Encapsulating the fluidity inherent in heritage, the artist proposes a cyclical manifestation of the enigmatic relationship between the ambiguous contemporary sociopolitical climate, and the intangible ephemerality of cultural and national identity which is collectively reshaped through a fragmentation of individual perspectives. 

These works are a palimpsest illustrating a known Arabic saying which translates to “Magic of the East”, and is then read as “Magic of Evil” as the last letter fades from the composition. Through this tempting suggestiveness, the artist oscillates between the dichotomy of perspectives in which the Middle East is seen: a political vision of reality structured to promote differences which are reminiscent of the familiar and the strange. Based on the artist’s handwriting, the Arabic calligraphy portrayed, which is inspired by motifs of the Arabian sword, or “seif”, has been used in producing a neon sign as well as a series of prints. These works offer a commentary on the notion of the Orient which vacillates with the West’s contempt for what is recognizable and its novelty harboring potential for delight fear and violence. 

This wall-mounted sculpture is a minimal trompe-l’œil. A subtracted rendering of the Lebanese Parliament building, it depicts in an acute angle the shell of an archaic political institution. Built in 1934 by Lebanese-Armenian architect Mardios Attounian during the French mandate, the building encompasses elements of Lebanese traditional architecture and Beaux-Arts designs, a relationship still apparent in the skeletal framework of the piece. This in turn highlights the deeply rooted external geopolitical influences still apparent in the country. The triptych lends itself useful in showcasing the divide of political influence among the three most predominant religious sects. Its triangular shape underlines subordination in relation to the hierarchal distribution of power. Inspired by Thomas Hobbes’ Leviathan, the devoid artwork portrays the State as a fragile entity in the aims of questioning sovereignty by acquisition, illusions of power, and criticize concepts of justice and civil rights in such a monopolized institution.