“ʿAḏrāʾ Samar” considers iconography and the production of identity in a transnational context. The work revisits moulds for objects commissioned by a souvenir shop in Amman during the 1990s and made by the artist’s father. By reconstructing and repositioning these objects—in terms of material, time, place and context—the work functions as an act of commemoration, while simultaneously rethinking the meanings inherent in these objects as sociopolitical and cultural icons. Originating from experiences of place and relocation, the work is a practice of reviving, reassembling and repositioning images by means of evocation.

This work is funded in part by a grant from the Arab Fund for Arts and Culture (AFAC).

Nour Bishouty is a multidisciplinary artist, living and working in Toronto. Her work, which takes the forms of image, video, object and text, explores issues pertaining to identity and the production of history. Nour holds a Master of Fine Arts Degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was a fellow at the 2014/15 Home Workspace Program at Ashkal Alwan in Beirut. She was an inaugural resident artist at Twenty-Three Days at Sea, traveling artist residency. Her work has been exhibited in venues such as Access Gallery in Vancouver, Beirut Art Centre, Makan House in Amman, Helen Day Art Centre in Stowe VT; Casa Arabe in Madrid and Cordoba SP; and the Mosaic Rooms in London.