In her series of the same name, Iman Issa creates a visual “Lexicon” for words such as “mourning”, “destiny” or “fortune teller”. In doing so she seeks to redefine and decipher the meanings contained in language by filtering out the meanings, interpretations and perceptions inherent in each word and each artwork. The basis of the Lexicon series, which Issa has been working on continuously since 2012, are history of art works from the second half of the 20th century, the titles of which consist primarily of a single word. We never see the works themselves, but they appear on the wall as didactic museum texts. Issa combines these objective, unemotional picture descriptions with objects, which serve as contemporary “remakes” of the works described previously. These are composed of new materials and forms, which Issa chooses in accordance with the original title. In Lexicon, the artist reinterprets the selected works and thus presents the viewer with an alternative form of exposition in minimalist aesthetics.
Iman Issa
Prayer (Study for 2014), 2014
