Apr 19th 2018

The annual Hugh Edwards Lecture in Photography honors the memory of Hugh Edwards, curator of photography from 1959–70. A tribute to Edwards’ tremendous dedication and achievements during his time at the Art Institute, this annual lecture has been established to bring internationally renowned practitioners in photography to as broad an audience as possible. The lecture is free and open to the public.

REGISTER—http://bit.ly/2oUjwk1

***Enter at the Michigan Avenue entrance (111 South Michigan Avenue).

Rabih Mroué:
Lebanese artist, actor, and playwright Rabih Mroué will deliver “a non-academic lecture” on the image politics of Islamist recruiting videos. In recent years these videos in formats and image styles match expectations among youth raised in Europe (Mroué lives in Berlin), while deliberately testing the limits of what one wants to see and stomach. Having researched material secured by the German Intelligence Services, Mroué reads the videos for their ability to engage Western(ized) youth and then reflects on assumptions underlying common or official Western responses to these videos.

Mroué has for years been speaking from the stage in a way that seems both expository and poetic and involves video and photographic imagery alongside the spoken word. Winner of the 2010 Spalding Gray Award and featured in Documenta 13 (2012), Mroué has spoken at the Walker Art Center; Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago; and Tate London, among many other venues.

Islamist recruiters in recent years make videos in formats and image styles that match expectations among youth raised in Europe (Mroué lives in Berlin), while deliberately testing the limits of what one wants to see and stomach. Having researched material secured by the German Intelligence Services, Mroué reads the videos for their ability to engage Western(ized) youth, and then reflects on assumptions underlying common or official Western responses to these videos.

*Museum admission is free for Illinois residents during this events and every Thursday evening 5:00–8:00.

Sponsors:

The Hugh Edwards Lecture series is supported by an endowment from the Crossed Purposes Foundation.

Image: Rabih Mroué. Photo by Joachim Dette.

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