English

At the age of 23, Mona Hatoum was on a short visit to London when the Lebanese Civil War broke out and she was unable to return home. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, while war raged, she feared for her family’s safety, rarely saw them, and at times couldn’t even confirm they had received her letters. Living in London, she found herself in exile. Her video So much I want to say was made during this period. A series of still images unfolds – one every eight seconds – showing the artist’s face filling the screen. Two male hands repeatedly gag her, obscuring parts of her face or covering it completely. On the soundtrack, a female
voice – Hatoum’s own – repeats the words: “so much I want to say.”

• Sektion Section: Film
• Programm Programme: The Empire Will Fall