All Photos By Gail

A close observer of the human condition, artist Anna Boghiguian (b. 1946) draws on the past and the present, poetry and politics to interpret our interconnected world. Based in Cairo Egypt, Boghiguian travels extensively across the globe. These journeys bring knowledge of ancient and contemporary world cultures and politics to her work. This large scale installation, Institution vs. The Mass (2019) was conceived as a dynamic chest set, which builds on her interest in cycles of revolution and sociopolitical change throughout history. The figures of the ‘institution’ evoke ancient and contemporary power structures that are distanced from the lives of everyday people. The ‘mass’ is comprised of activists, demonstrators and thinkers, aspiring towards fundamental human rights and freedoms.

At a time when oppressive regimes that infringe upon individual freedoms are globally active, Boghiguian’s work highlights collective efforts to confront power. As the artist says, “I think there are always periods of great change – that human beings come to the ultimate point of dissatisfaction and frustration, and they want change.”

Boghiguian created the figures in encaustic, an ancient technique made by burning beeswax mixed with colored pigments, giving the painted services a living materiality. Reminiscent of the cut out paper figures used for popular theater and storytelling in various traditions, they link back to the books at the center of her practice.

Each time the work is installed, the pieces on the board can be rearranged, thereby reshaping the power relations and the multiplicity of meanings the work can offer.

Photgraphed in the Tate Modern Museum in London