Sébastien Delot – författare

A bridger of worlds A poet, painter and philosopher, Etel Adnan’s life and work was shaped by a profound and vibrant exchange between Arab and Western cultures. In 2024, the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in Dhahran is organizing the first major exhibition in Saudi Arabia dedicated to one of the most important voices in modern American-Arab literature and visual art. Living a life between Lebanon, France and California, and influenced by her travels to Mexico and North Africa, Adnan’s work is characterized by her openness to different media and languages, both literary and visual. Refusing to continue writing in French to show solidarity with Algeria during the Algerian War of Independence, she began to paint using bright colors as a universal language. Alongside this, leporellos became her signature medium: the pocket-sized books unfold into several meters long, lavishly illustrated tapestries of poetry and painting. Opening up new perspectives, this catalogue brings together a large number of works from all periods that emphasize the richness and diversity of Adnan’s oeuvre, and explores various themes essential to a deeper understanding of her work. A comprehensive chronology will also enrich the book, making it not least a reference tool in Arabic.

The first book to consider Kiefer’s photography and use of photographs in his wider artistic practice. Known for his monumental painting and installations, the internationally celebrated artist Anselm Kiefer's works are marked by a constant questioning of history and collective memory. Born in Germany two months before the Nazi capitulation in 1945, Kiefer's reflections on post-war identity, loss, and shared experience, nourished by myths and literature, create an unparalleled breadth of imagery. The use of photography as both practice and source material is a little-known aspect of Kiefer’s art that has played a central role throughout his career. This book presents over 130 works charting the artist's relationship with photography, and his investigations into what images reveal.