Mandy El-Sayegh, Talisman, 2024, Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai. Performers: Chelsea Gordon, Rei Co., Asmaâ Lahlou Mimi, Mazen Nehlawi and Anastasia Tassotti. Video still: John Gatapia, Seeing Things.
Mandy El-Sayegh presents The Body at the exhibition EVERYTHING IS TRUE – NOTHING IS PERMITTED at Rotterdam’s arts center BRUTUS.
Split across two distinct yet interlinked levels, The Body creates separate immersive environments that together form a cohesive narrative. One level recreates elements of El-Sayegh’s studio—walls adorned with paintings-in-progress, scattered scraps of material, and fragments of news stories—each detail serving as a raw and unfiltered glimpse into her creative universe. Meanwhile, the inclusion of audio and video works enriches the sensory experience, reinforcing the installation’s layered dialogue between art and the chaotic influx of information in contemporary society.
At its core, El-Sayegh’s installation examines the dispersal and circulation of imagery and information. By focusing on the transmission of painful socio-political events and highlighting abuses of power, her work offers a pointed critique of how mass culture sanitizes or manipulates narratives. This deliberate intermingling of studio artifacts with socio-political commentary underscores the artist’s investigation into how deeply personal and traumatic events are refracted through the lens of contemporary media, ultimately challenging viewers to reconsider their own perceptions of truth and power. VIEW MORE.