The reciprocal relationship between objects and their surroundings is at the core of Iman Issa's work. After studying philosophy, which evidently shapes Issa's practice structured into hypotheses and proofs, the Cairo-born artist primarily employed the medium of photography. Today, her studies mostly take on sculptural form, with photography, video, and the written word as further consistencies.

Issa asks to which extent the perception of objects is shaped by their geographical, historical, and social circumstances. Is an object or an image at the mercy of its viewers' interpretations, so that its meaning is constantly in flux? Conversely, to what extent does an object, such as a monument or a historical building, shape memory? This prompts the related question of whether there are forms that are in such consonance with their meaning that they are immune to arbitrary interpretation.

Issa pursues these considerations using various methods: In her work series titled "Heritage Studies" (since 2015), she draws on existing historical artifacts. Although her own objects, or “displays” as Issa calls them, do not resemble the originals in size, color or material, the artist considers them to be fundamentally identical.

Her "Proxies" engage with the genre of the self-portrait: the wall-mounted oval sculptures bearing names such as William S. Burroughs, Georges Henein or Hannah Arendt are accompanied by short aphorisms that can be read as condensations of the respective body of thought. What would a monument to a thought look like, these sculptures seem to ask, detached from the conventions of representation, which, as is so often the case, are either physiognomic, motif-driven, or metaphorical.

Works by Iman Issa from the last decade will be presented at the Lenbachhaus. A publication will accompany the exhibition.

Curated by Stephanie Weber

With generous support of Förderverein Lenbachhaus e.V.

Text: Lenbachhaus