Negation is at the heart of "Knot," the current exhibition by Lebanese artist Annabel Daou at the David Winton Bell Gallery in the List Art Center. Even the "K" in the title is deliberately faded, leaving visitors with a bold impression of the word "not."
Daou's objective is "to get to something so bare that it is almost nothing," according to the exhibition brochure. To achieve this, she relies almost exclusively on the most basic of artistic techniques-the line- to create texture and definition. Daou told The Herald she is "interested in the approaching but not quite being."
The exhibit, which runs through March 8, consists of three sequential parts: 12 notebooks, an accordion "map" and a wall drawing. Each component features a continuous line curving and doubling back over itself to create patterns of images.
The entire sequence was inspired by 12 words supplied by collaborating artist and writer David Markus. At first, each notebook was guided by one of Markus' words, given to Daou over the course of an entire year. Daou then returned the notebooks to Markus, who subsequently wrote an unbroken line of text that later engendered Daou's vision for the wall drawing featured in the show.
The accordion map, which features a miniature version of the wall mural on one side and Markus' text on the other, is a line itself, bridging the first and last elements of the exhibit. Copies are available at the gallery for visitors to take home.
"What remains is not a documentation of the work itself but something that preceded the work," Markus said.
The wall mural is the most striking element of the showcase, an exploration extending from floor to ceiling done completely in Micron pen. At each place where Daou lifted her pen, she documented the time, as well as the time she resumed work. The line runs from right to left as a salute to Arabic, Daou's mother tongue and a critical part of her Lebanese heritage. The first portion of the line even incorporates English words from Markus' text written phonetically in Arabic script. This sort of incremental work is in keeping with Daou's interest in working outside the convention of isolated pieces, she said.
She also said that when making new work she frequently makes reference to her past creations and sometimes even future projects. "Knot" is no exception, for, as Markus says, it retains an "archaeological element" and is in "constant dialogue with the past." One segment of the wall mural alludes to "America," a composition featured in Daou's first solo show, an exhibit that ran in New York City in 2006 and incorporated text from quintessentially American poets, politicians and musicians. Daou said the segment of "Knot" which consists of the words "voice," "truth" and "stage" repeated over and over is meant to contradict certain elements in her earlier "America" composition.
As for future projects, the section of the mural line inspired by "muse," one of the twelve words provided by Markus, hints at an upcoming poster project where the words "This is not that" will be printed on two large posters, one in English located in New York City and the other in Arabic in Beirut, Daou's hometown.
Daou said that "Knot" reflects "what we lost over the past year," an ambiguous reference to political aspects of the work. She is interested in "subtle communication," something at which she said President Obama is very skilled. Markus added that people, especially the press, are often "suspicious of subtlety," but that this has changed since the 2008 election.
The biggest challenge Daou faced was not being able to correct her mistakes, she said. A self-proclaimed perfectionist, she was supplied with a bucket of white paint to fix any flaws, but she resisted the temptation to use it.
"I tend to be very brutal with myself," Daou said.
To overcome this, Daou said she kept in mind that the work is inherently temporary, for the walls of the gallery will soon be painted over. In fact, she incorporated this evanescence into the design and execution of the work, intending it to be "something you could pull from one end and have it unravel."
Daou also said she was pleased to have her work shown in a university gallery, an environment which she believes is more concerned with the perspectives of both viewer and artist. In creating her art, Daou said, she seeks to be honest with herself, preserving an individuality that is more encouraged in an academic environment than in the art world she has experienced.
"Knot" is not the first project Daou and Markus have collaborated on, and both artists say it is unlikely to be the last. This association helped Daou to build the honest work that she was striving for. Daou employs the elements of line and text in a refreshingly stark way and creates depth using a relatively finite medium. The themes of negation, reversibility and repetition come across as meaningful to the artist and powerful for the viewer.
Viewers found the particular premise of art created from one continuous line to be challenging, but agreed that Daou had pulled it off well.
"I love it," said Katie Lawson, a guest at the exhibition's Jan. 23 opening reception. "It makes me want to have my own white room at home."
"It's like what you see when you're driving in a snow storm," said Marilyn Soscia, referring to the wall mural's striking amount of white defined by thin black detailing. Soscia, a Rhode Island resident, was drawn to the exhibit after she found herself in a taxi with Daou upon the artist's arrival in
Providence.
"She said it took hours of work," said Soscia. "I thought to myself, 'Her arm must be killing her.'"
