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Folding Memory: Roda Medhat's first solo show at the Art Gallery of Burlington.
Summary
Roda Medhat's first public-institution solo exhibition, "Things I Can Fold, Deflate and Break," runs at the Art Gallery of Burlington from January 17 to April 26 and features textiles, inflatables, neon and a 43-foot carpet inspired by a trip to Kurdistan.
Content
Roda Medhat's first solo exhibition in a public institution, "Things I Can Fold, Deflate and Break," is on view at the Art Gallery of Burlington from January 17 to April 26. The show is installed in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery and is arranged across three sections that are partially divided by a curved wall. Many works were made for this installation and draw on Medhat's Kurdish heritage and a trip to historic Kurdistan. Large-format pieces and a range of materials create a varied visual program.
Exhibition details:
- Dates and venue: The exhibition runs January 17 to April 26 at the Art Gallery of Burlington in the Lee-Chin Family Gallery.
- Layout and key work: The gallery is organized into three sections separated by a curved wall; a 43-foot-long carpet behind inflatable taxis is the only item not specifically made for this show and is described as a diary of the artist's trip.
- Materials and objects: Works include textiles, inflatables, neon, vinyl and plastic sculptures such as a pink sheep atop a neutral-coloured car titled "The Sheep in the Chevrolet."
- Historical references: Some textile works are based on Kurdish textiles from historical archives; neon pieces draw on imagery and text from a 1960s Kurdish language book that was reportedly banned and circulated in secret.
- Themes: The artist explores cultural memory, heritage and identity as they shift across borders and generations.
- Institutional support: Medhat said the Art Gallery of Burlington approached him and provided the space and resources needed to realize large-scale and complex installations.
Summary:
The exhibition foregrounds Kurdish heritage through textiles, sculptural works and animated neon pieces while using large-scale, colorful forms to examine memory and identity. It remains on view through April 26. Undetermined at this time.
