JANE JIN KAISEN

REVOLUTION IS NOT A BIRD'S EYE VIEW ...BUT A ROSE IS A ROSE IS A ROSE..., 2012

Single-channel video HD, 12:14 minutes looped

Composed of a series of texts, the video work Revolution is not a bird’s eye view …but a rose is a rose is a rose… is an inquiry into the representations and mediations of the Egyptian Revolution. During the winter following the Egyptian Revolution, the idealized images of Tahrir Square as a symbol of unity were largely substituted by western media portrayals of women as a battleground for conflicting desires, ideologies and prejudices.
The work is composed entirely of short texts, which conjure a rich visual imagery attesting to this shift in focus. The texts are compiled from various sources, such as newspaper headlines, quotes, protest slogans, observations, poetry, diary entries, conversations and commentary, which the artist wrote and collected while residing in Cairo in the winter of 2011-2012. Alternating between statements, poetic language and reflections, the work creates a destabilized narrative that exposes the complexity, multiplicity, contradictions and deliberate re-arranging of meaning that have occurred in the aftermath of the event.