Gallery 105
Appliances Out of Context
Out of context and laid on a rolling table, the kitchen appliances that make Home by Mona Hatoum (b. 1952) –a meat mincer, a grater, a vegetable slicer, a meat mallet, etc.– take on a sense of lack of safety and unease. The fact that they are made of metal and connected by wires increases the sense of danger.
Home Sweet Home?
The word home is usually associated with a space of comfort and protection, with family and the background of individuals, even with the homeland. Here, a steel barrier separates the viewer from the work. Is it there for protection or as a prohibition? What can be happening in this space? What are the feelings it evokes?
Home can be understood in light of Hatoum’s personal experience as a Palestinian whose life has been marked by displacement and exile.