ART-PRESENTATION: Shirin Neshat-Looking For Oum Kulthum
Umm Kulthum is considered one of the greatest Arab singers who ever lived and most influential singers of the 20th Century. For over fifty years, she stunned the Arab world with her unmatchable voice; her vocals able to penetrate people’s hearts and express the soul of nations. Her lyrics were written by poets who eagerly offered their pieces to her in hopes of becoming the next esteemed songwriter ordained into Umm Kulthum’s repertoire.
By Efi Michalarou
Photo: Faurschou Foundation Copenhagen Archive
Shirin Neshat’s solo exhibition “Looking for Oum Kulthum”, that is on presentation at Faurschou Foundation Copenhagen, invites visitors to look behind the scenes of the six-year-long film production. The exhibition consists of extensive, historical research on who Oum Kulthum was, including her history, career and personal life. It also explores the reasons behind the singer’s legendary fame throughout the entire Arab world. First presented in Venice at the Giornate degli Autori film festival in 2017, “I Looking for Oum Kulthum” is not a documentary about Oum Kulthum, it is a “film within a film”, is the fictional story of an Iranian director filming Oum Kalthoum’s biopic in Egypt. As the Shirin Neshat says, the film is based loosely on the experiences “Looking for Oum Kulthum is the plight of an Iranian woman artist/filmmaker living in exile, as she embarks on capturing the life and art of the legendry female singer of the Arab world, Oum Kulthum”. The exhibition invites visitors to look behind the scenes of the six-year-long film production. Starring Neda Rahmanian, Yasmin Raeis, and Mehdi Moinzadeh, the film, which was shot in Morocco and Austria, is set in early 20th Century Egypt. More specifically, from the 1910s to 1965 – the period just before Kulthum rose from poverty and obscurity into worldwide fame, up until 10 years before her death at the age of 76. Like Shirin Neshat, her protagonist (Neda Rahmanian) is a filmmaker of Persian origin, neighbour to but different from the Arab culture that shaped Kulthum. What the women have in common, though, is a shared battle against the constraints imposed on female artists. “Looking For Oum Kulthum “crafts a visually dazzling, multi-planed mirror between the mid-century Egyptian diva and the contemporary film director seeking a creative connection with her.
Info: Faurschou FoundationM Klubiensvej 11, Nordhavn, Duration: 20/3-7/9/18, Days & Hours: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00, www.faurschou.com
