21st Century is Met by Orientalist Fantasy
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BEIRUT: Since the publication of Edward Said’s critique of Western cultural representations of the Middle East, “Orientalism” in 1978, Westerners seeking to depict “the Orient” in words or imagery may approach the task with a hint of trepidation.
In “I am the Two Moons,” a solo exhibition of work by Claudia Scarsella that takes its inspiration from Beirut, the Italian artist addresses the elephant in the room head on. She includes a literal representation of an elephant and rider in her tongue-in-cheek collage “Cycling Caravan,” in which people camels, elephants and a giant tortoise are pitted against old-fashioned penny farthings, bicycles, tricycles and even unicycles, ridden by men in top hats and acrobats in circus clothing............More
