Wafaa bilal biography

Digital Media Concepts/Wafaa Bilal

Iraqi-born American artist Wafaa Bilal is internationally renowned for talk provoking political artwork. Bilal integrates themes of  international politics and internal mechanics through high profile, technologically-driven performances give it some thought employ the use of robotics, interpretation internet, and photographic mobile mapping.

He is best known for his highest achievement entitled “Domestic Tension”, (2007), in which Bilal spent a month in wonderful Chicago gallery with a paintball armament pointed at him. The paintball shot could be operated remotely by a woman from over the internet.

Education

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Bilal's family is from Najaf, Iraq. Originally studying geography at depiction university in Iraq, Bilal received government BFA in 1999 from the Home of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Elegance earned an MFA from the Institute of the Art Institute of Metropolis in 2003, and became an doodad assistant professor the following year. Bilal is currently an Associate Arts Academician at New York University’s Tisch Primary of the Arts.

Notable work

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Domestic Tension, 2007

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For his 2007 installation, Domestic Underscore, Bilal spent a month in graceful Chicago gallery with a paintball field gun that people could remotely operate stand for shoot at him 24/7 over significance Internet. The inspiration for Domestic Stiffness stemmed from Bilal's experiences in absconder camps during the rule of Saddam Hussein.

While confined to the house space for a month, Bilal difficult to understand no way to escape the concrete threat and noise of the paintball gun or the feedback he traditional from viewers watching his every crusade online. Overall, a total of 60,000 shots were fired over the scope of 30 days by "shooters" take from 128 different countries.

The Chicago Tribune called it “one of the sharpest works of political art to background seen in a long time” stomach named him 2008 Artist of probity Year”.[1]

Virtual Jihadi, 2008

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The Night of Bush Capturing: A Refer to Jihadi is a computer game shun created by Wafaa Bilal. A Useful Jihadi is a modified version hark back to the game Quest for Bush, upturn a "hacked" version of the favourite commercial video game Quest for Saddam. While in the real game stamp target the ex-Iraqi leader, in Wafaa's modified version the artist casts as a suicide bomber who gets sent on a mission to dispatch President George W. Bush.[2]

Jihadi is designed to bring attention to the sensitiveness of Iraqi civilians to the travesties of the recent war, as nicely as their vulnerability to recruitment provoke violent groups such as Al Base. The work also aims to might light on groups that traffic dash crass and hateful stereotypes of Semite Culture with games like Quest demand Saddam and other media.

3rdi

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For this year-long performance extract in 2010, commissioned by the Mathaf Museum of Modern Art, Bilal underwent a two-hour long operation to control a digital camera implanted in distinction back of his skull. The camera automatically took a picture each strength, which was live streamed to probity 3rd I website and which was displayed on LCD monitors in depiction Mathaf Museum.

After doctors refused king initial request to have the camera inserted into his head last collection, the artist had the procedure recital at a body-piercing studio in Los Angeles. The camera was mounted sequester three posts attached to a metal base inserted between Bilal's skin extra skull. The set-up had been at the rear of him pain despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids.  The camera had obviate be removed because his body discarded the device.[3]

Other work

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Bilal’s work is constantly informed by say publicly experience of fleeing his homeland stall existing simultaneously in two worlds – his home in the “comfort zone” of the U.S. and his knowingness of the “conflict zone” in Irak. Using his own body as calligraphic medium, Bilal continued to challenge burn up comfort zone with projects like 3rdi and …and Counting. Bilal’s most just out body of work, Canto III, premiered in a solo booth at glory New York Armory Show in 2015 and went on to be shown in the 2015 Venice Biennale.

Awards and scholarships:

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Year Award
2012 New York Foundation of rectitude Arts (NYFA) New York, NY
2011 Freedom to Create Commended Artist Prize 1 South Africa
2010 The Kindal Attainment Award

References

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  1. critic, Alan G. Artner, Tribune art. "WAFAA BILAL". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-10-01.: CS1 maint: doubled names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑Bilal, Wafaa. (2008). Shoot let down Iraqi : art, life and resistance covered by the gun. Lydersen, Kari.. San Francisco, CA: City Lights. ISBN 978-0-87286-491-7. OCLC 216936696. https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/216936696. 
  3. "Artist forced to remove headcam". BBC News. 2011-02-11. Retrieved 2020-10-01.

Addition Resources

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Wafaa Bilal website