Unidentified Objects

What happens when artists engage with an archaeological excavation?
 
What can mankind do when the priceless archaeological treasures from the birth of human civilization are being destroyed when some of these are converted into a source of revenue for a group of terrorists known as The Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS)? Not long after Behjat Omer Abdulla started his research at Nya Lödöse in Sweden, the entire world woke up to the destruction and looting of Nimrud, 20 miles south of the modern city of Mosul and considered one of most important archaeological sites in Iraq. The city had been under the control of ISIS since June 2015, when jihadi fighters advanced rapidly across the country’s north. In the Mosul museum the group smashed objects and statues with hammers. The video footage that has been released by the group shows a man dressed in black drilling through and destroying a winged bull, an “Assyrian protective deity” that dates back to the 7th century BC.
 
Having this in mind made the development and research on how to approach the Can You Dig It? exhibition become complicated. After visiting the archaeological site at Nya Lödöse, Behjat Omer Abdulla’s first impulse was to work with the bodies found there; most of his earlier work had been about issues of displacement and identity, how humans are presented in contemporary art, and how the violence that happens in the name of politics and religion is represented through newspapers and the media. Behjat Omer Abdulla could have related his work to these unknown bodies. Instead, he decided to take a turn and use this opportunity to shift from the human form and to work with a different subject but still too maintain a political approach towards the project.
 
The triptych drawings that he produced are drawn with pencil, charcoal, and graphite powder on paper. They depict hands in a dark space, wearing white medical gloves and holding unidentified objects that date from 5 to 600 years old. The objects were selected because of their unknown stories and their complex histories of each; like any other image these three drawings are also an invitation to look. By converting the images from photographs to drawings (a large part of his practice) Behjat Omer Abdulla wanted to encourage a shift in the viewer’s understanding of the subject. It is important to be aware of what we are daily exposed so that we can look from different perspectives and not only from the standpoint of the established media. Human experiences are constantly subject to alteration. No one sees exactly the same thing because each viewer comes to the work differently prepared. Looking is influenced by perceptual, cultural, political, and historical circumstances.

For more information about Unidentified Objects and about Behjat Omer Abdulla follow these links: 

• https://www.behjatomer.com/can-you-dig-it-2015.html

• https://www.behjatomer.com/

Originally published in Synnestvedt, A. 2016. Can You Dig It: What Happens When Ten Artists Engage with Archaeological Practices?, pp. 52-55. Gothenburg: Valand Academy: University of Gothenburg.

For more information about Can You Dig It?, check out that project’s site:

• https://canyoudigitohyeah.tumblr.com/