Wijdan Al-Hashemi on Stills From Fleeting Images: Icons and Legends (April 2007)

 

Visiting the artist at home and viewing her scattered works lined up against several walls, familiar faces caught my eye…

Laila Murad, Umm Kalthoum, Audrey Hepburn, Elvis Presley, Maryam Fakkherdinn, Abdel Halim Hafiz, Mohd Fawzi, Omar Sharif, Samia Jamal, Farid Al Atrache… are they a whiff of nostalgia, buried memories that have been recalled!?

They are all these and more… They reenact a way of life in the Arab world that reminds me of my school days in Amman and college years in Beirut; a time where bad memories do not count anymore and where only sweet, dear, and happy recollections exist; a floating image between dream and reality.

Dodi’s new style for this show combined with pop art and photography transfer, embellished with collage, brings together a breath of fresh air to the art scene in Jordan.

It is a very new experience to be sheared and enjoyed by the artist and viewer alike, and hopefully needs no further explanation or justification.

Wjdan F. Al Hashemi

Amman – April 2007