Loha Toar

Black Hole II

Infinite density and moving dust particles are just a small part of the vast and turbulent workings of a black hole. Often considered to be regions in the universe that contains unlimited amounts of space and matter, black holes are known to be so opaque that both time and light cannot escape its overwhelming gravitational pull. Such astral and limitless characteristics of black holes have provided artist Amin Rehman with the perfect metaphor to convey the immensity of his current installation work also titled Black Holes. Like the black holes of the cosmos, Rehman’s text-based installation works with both ambiguity and specificity at once: the terms and phrases that affixed onto the gallery’s walls evoke places and events that are both historically specific and ambiguously current. Not only does the installation render time more oblique, but it also explores the ways in which language, specifically how words that are used to describe war in the media are vague yet have peculiar lives of their own.

Set against a black backdrop, Black Holes is comprised of a series of terms and phrases made from grey and white vinyl lettering. These phrases and words pull the viewer in by compelling them to read what is illustrated on the gallery walls: Not just because they are made from vinyl or because of the contrast between the texts, but because some of the phrases are readily identifiable as frequently used headlines in newspapers and news media reports. However the phrases Rehman uses go beyond reiterating newspaper headlines as each term placed closely next to one another like a long a stream of consciousness. As a result, the nature of the words and phrases that are installed onto the walls of the gallery, like the amorphous black holes of the cosmos, set in motion an infinite field of meaning and histories.

-Excerpted from Nadia Kurd's Essay "War and Comprehension" . For complete catalouge click here