Photo from the Novel of Nonel and Vovel 2009 © Oreet Ashery and Larissa Sansour

Oreet Ashery and Larissa Sansour, two of the most highly respected performance and film practitioners on the world art circuit will combine forces at TATE MODERN on the 25th of November in an event which is set to be one of the highlights of 2009.

Separately Ashery and Sansour are well known for engaging with the politics of the Middle East. Their collaboration at Tate Modern is seen as remarkable because it will take place at a time when politicians are again failing to bridge wide gaps between Israelis and Palestinians. Both artists share similar pasts. Both were born in Jerusalem and grew up in Palestine and Israel, respectively, before emigrating to the UK. Far from being impenetrable the work of both artists uses humour and makes references to popular culture in order to examine contentious issues.

Oreet Ashery is no stranger to controversy, interested in notions of subjectivity and authenticity, she frequently produces work disguised as a male character. These have included; an orthodox Jewish man, an Arab man, a black man, a Norwegian postman, a large farmer and most recently a false messiah based on the historical figure of Shabbtai Sevi. Ashery’s practice operates within an anti-occupation remit and in support of the Palestinian Right to Return. It analyses and breaks down Zionist narratives and issues relating to Jewishness as a cultural material.

Larissa Sansour borrows heavily from the language of film and pop culture. By approximating the nature, reality and complexity of life in Palestine and the Middle East to visual forms normally associated with entertainment and watching television, her elaborate and often humorous schemes clash with the gravity expected from works commenting on the region. References and details ranging from sci-fi and spaghetti westerns to horror films converge with Middle East politics and social issues to create intricate parallel universes in which a new value system can be decoded.

This Tate Modern event also marks the UK launch of a new experimental graphic novel by Ashery and Sansour entitled ‘The Novel of Nonel and Vovel’ (Charta, 2009, text by Søren Lind, Nat Muller, Oreet Ashery, Larissa Sansour).

'The Novel of Nonel and Vovel', examines critical strategies of resistance to the occupation of Palestine, tackling issues such as terminology, artistic choices and the demand for a cultural boycott of Israel. 'The Novel of Nonel and Vovel' presents a bold mixture of art and politics.

Event Booking Information:
NB: early booking is highly recommended
Oreet Ashery & Larissa Sansour
The Novel of Nonel and Vovel
Wednesday 25 November 2009, 18.30
Tate Modern, Starr Auditorium
£5 (£4 concessions)
Please book on: http://www.tate.org.uk/modern/eventseducation/film/19606.htm
or call 020 7887 8888

The artists will present a programme of live performances and video works, followed by a discussion with curators Reem Fadda and Nat Muller.

Programme:

Part One: Video and Performance

A Space Exodus, by Larissa Sansour, video, 2009, 5.24 min
Soup Over Bethlehem, by Larissa Sansour, video, 2006, 9.30 min
Scratch Performance; Golani Varanasi, by Oreet Ashery, performance, 2008, 12 min, performed by Oreet Ashery and Terry McCormack
Raging Balls, by Oreet Ashery, performance, 2008, 10 min, performed by Chris McCormack, Andrew Mitchelson and Owen Parry
Bethlehem Bandolero, by Larissa Sansour, video, 2005, 3 min


Part Two: Presentations and Q&A

Oreet Ashery and Larissa Sansour present their project.
Nat Muller discusses the front cover of The Novel of Nonel and Vovel in relation to representation, perception, artistic agency and authorship.
Reem Fadda discusses temporal logics related to the Palestinian-Israeli context, urban military warfare, history making and breaking, meta-nationalism

Q&A, chaired by Stuart Comer