Dana Qaddah, We're no the only ones but........, the special ones, 2023 (BG6324).

Artwork

We're not the only ones but........, the special ones

Artist/Creator: Dana Qaddah (Creator)
Date: 2023
ID #: BG6324

Physical Description

Medium: transparency
Support: lightbox
Dimensions: 66.5 cm 76.1 cm 7.2 cm (Frame)
Object Description: We’re not the only ones but… was commissioned for the tenth anniversary of the Capture Photography Festival, with the assignment being “to respond in some way to this place.” It was shown at Capture’s 2023 Here and Now exhibition at Pendulum Gallery. We’re not the only ones but… visually and metaphorically collages Western and Arabic cultures through reproductions of consumer packaging that the artist has collected in grocery stores and airports while travelling between Beirut and Vancouver. Images of plastic bags, food photography and product labels sell cultural “authenticity,” like the one from which the work’s title is derived. The gilded frame came from a readymade diorama that originally surrounded a scene of Mecca that Qaddah found at Jasmine Foods, a Halal grocery store on Vancouver’s Main Street. For the artist, the store bridges the gap between Arab and Muslim traditions and the (at times) alienating experience of living in Vancouver. Mohammad Mohaidly, the store owner and childhood friend of the artist’s father, gave the frame to Qaddah. This free exchange and the resulting work speak to the socio-economic and aesthetic values of cultural items, how they circulate and how they can establish a sense of belonging, especially within Vancouver’s small Arabic diaspora. Qaddah’s use of the lightbox positions their work in conversation with senior artists from the “Vancouver School,” including Jeff Wall, Stan Douglas, Rodney Graham, Jin-me Yoon, Ken Lum and Ian Wallace (whose work was also included in Capture’s exhibition at Pendulum Gallery). By co-opting the commercial lightbox for artistic purposes, these artists create large-scale cinematic and conceptual photographs and, in the case of Qaddah’s work, centres on the artist’s own Arabic background and culture and a longing to be home, wherever that might be.

History

Collection: Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery Permanent Collection
Credit Line: Purchased with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, 2023
Related Exhibitions

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