hangmenProjects proudly presents:
Haidar Mahdi: Fake Sculptures
Maj 29 - June 14, 2015
Haidar Madhi (1986) works with clay. Born and raised in a small town in southern Sweden with a mother originates from Poland and a father from Iraqi. His artistic idiom and expression bear the stamp of his multicultural background, with childhood visits to relatives in Poland and a house full of Arabic culture, food and scents. Despite the geographical distance, and the cultural differences, between the Arab countries and Poland, a common theme is distinguishable between them: a corresponding aesthetic, which has influenced Mahdi.
Mahdi makes unique clay objects and sculptures that are mocking the opulent and the gaudy. His sculptures are created using traditional ceramic methods and are rich in classical ornamentation. You will find the gilding, which has been used to decorate fine porcelain for centuries, and the mother of pearl with references to the 18th-century rococo. The artist play with these traditional, bourgeois expressions in combination with bolder shapes and colors. In much the same way to how the Polish and Arab people decorate their homes, with imitations and fake copies, Mahdi plays around with different expressions and materials and his art does not strive for beauty, but rather takes use of a broad concept of beauty, which includes the rich and the gaudy, to create a feel of overabundance. His works are so loaded with this fakery and imitation; it becomes something else, something bigger.
Haidar Mahdi works and lives in Stockholm and is trained and educated at Konstfack – University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, and The Royal Institute of Art.
