Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige
Time Capsules. Saifi, Sursock | 2017
Core samples in experimental resin. 4 pieces of 155 cm height and 12 cm diameter. From the project "Unconformities"
In "Time Capsules", Hadjithomas and Joreige resculpt, with the help of archaeologists and geologists, the cores extracted from Beirut, Paris and Athens – cities that were chosen by the artists for their personal and historical significance. These buried cities are made visible in vertical, cylindrical structures, fixed within a resin that allows the details of each material to be viewed – or read – in detail.
Hadjithomas and Joreige developed an experimental resin specifically for the project of "Unconformities", allowing for the fragility of these excavations to be shown and displayed. Cores has been recuperated from several sites : Louvre, Collège de France, Musée de Cluny in Paris, Martyr’s Square and Saifi in Beirut, Monasteraki, Keramikos and Eleonas in Athens. As sculptural works, the Time Capsules abstract the very idea of history into matter.
"Time Capsules" is part of the ongoing project "Unconformities". From 2014, the artists have been collecting a series of core samples that reveal the subterranean worlds of three cities omnipresent in their personal imaginaries: Athens, Paris and Beirut.
In October 2017 Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige won the largest contemporary art prize in France, the Marcel Duchamp Prize, for 'Unconformities' when it was presented for the first time at the Centre Pompidou, Paris.
Reference JHKJ-ISO-2017-B
Biography of the artist
Born in Beirut, Lebanon. 1969
Works and Lives in Paris and Beirut
Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige collaborate as filmmakers and artists, producing cinematic and visual artwork that interwine. For the last 15 years, they have focused on the images, representations and history of their home country, Lebanon and questioned the fabrication of imaginaries in the region and beyond.
Together, they have directed documentaries such as "Khiam" 2000-2007 (2008) and "El Film el Mafkoud" (The Lost Film) (2003) and feature films such as "Al Bayt el Zaher" (1999) and "A Perfect Day" (2005).
Their feature film, "Je Veux Voir" (I Want to See), starring Catherine Deneuve and Rabih Mroue, premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2008. The French critics Guild chose it as Best Film Singulier 2008.
Their films have been multi awarded in international festivals and enjoyed releases in many countries.
They have created numerous photographic installations, among them "Faces", "Lasting Images", "Distracted Bullets", "The Circle of Confusion", "Don’t Walk", "War Trophies", "Landscape of Khiam", "A Faraway Souvenir" and the multifaceted project "Wonder Beirut".
Their artworks have been shown in museums, biennials and art centers around the world, in solo or collective exhibitions and are part of important public and private collections, such as Musee d’art Moderne de la Ville de Paris; FNAC France; the Guggenheim, New York; the Centre Georges Pompidou, France; V & A London, the Sharjah Art Foundation, UAE, etc. They are recipients of the 2012 Abraaj Capital Art Prize with "A Letter Can Always Reach Its Destination" and won the price Marcel Duchamp, 2017 for their work "Unconformities" (2017).
In 2012 they presented their feature documentary "The Lebanese Rocket Society", the strange tale of the Lebanese space race » and a series of artistic installations around the space project of the 60's.
They are the authors of numerous publications and university lecturers in Lebanon and Europe, members of the board of Metropolis Cinema, and co-founders of Abbout Productions with Georges Schoucair.
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