Reflective of her training as an anthropologist, Khoury's works incorporate a range of techniques and media-ceramic, metal, glass-as well as cast-off materials and objects. Visitors to the exhibition will be the first to see a Wexner Center-commissioned assemblage of off-kilter, semi-abstract sculptures inspired by music and food, which Khoury uses as symbols of inclusion, exclusion, and transformation. You'll encounter a kebab wind chime, a neon night-light holding Palestinian olive oil, and a 20-foot-tall radio tower that marks the hour by playing a recording of Khoury's aunt singing at an Arabic family party. The exhibition also features new dimensional tile plinths that were realized through a partnership with Cerámica Suro in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The exhibition title translates to mother in Arabic, and it is also a reference to the iconic Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum (c. 1904-75)-world-renowned for her vocal range, impassioned performances, and improvisational prowess. Kulthum became a symbol of pan-Arab unity and was described as both Egypt's fourth pyramid and the mother of Arabs. For over four decades, Kuthum's live concerts were broadcast throughout the Arab world on the first Thursday of each month.
In that spirit, the Wexner Center has commissioned an original score UMM / AL ATLAL by multidisciplinary artists Esra Canoğulları (aka 8ULENTINA) and Lara Sarkissian, cofounders of CLUB CHAI (2016-2021), that will play from Khoury's radio tower on the first Thursday of every month during the exhibition's run.
