A MATTER OF PERSPECTIVE

in conversation with Sophia Al-Maria

Fabrizio Meris

"Often I realize that our world has a strange ego-system, in which, instead of simply carrying on with their work, an artist welcomes visitors in their studio, is given a brief, and consequently responds to that stimulus." That is how my conversation with Sophia Al-Maria (born in 1983) begins: an artist, writer, and director born in the United States but who has made Qatar her home. She has just arrived in London from Paris, where her video installation "Gravity & Grace" served as the backdrop for Miu Miu's S/S 2024 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week. It's a special project for the Italian fashion house in which the artist tells a multidimensional tale where atmospheric elements, classical columns,

and a Japanese_ katana are mixed together, revealing this intellectual's attraction for Surrealism, someone who is already famous for having coined the term "Gulf Futurism" and for having explored almost dystopian and apocalyptic aspects of consumerism.

Fabrizio: The first time I saw your work in person was during the 2022 Venice Biennale. In that instance, you exhibited the video "TIGER STRIKE RED," chosen by curator Cecilia Alemani Can you tell us more about your method and the themes you address?

Sophia: I was invited to present my work within the Pavilion of Applied Arts, a special project in collaboration with the Victoria and Albert Museum in London; it's an institution that's problematic in many ways, but it's also steeped in history. One of the main themes in my work is playing with genres and narratives, and then placing them in unexpected contexts. I wanted to lower the institution's tone because I couldn't imagine doing something serious at the V&A; it had to be a bit childish and silly. So I thought of the aesthetics of

"Scooby-Doo" or "Buffy the Vampire Slayer." Then, as I continued my research, I discovered that a dancer had performed there, a dancer of Indian origin whose identity had somehow been "erased." Even in the V&As visitors guide, his name was not mentioned; he was simply described as an "Indian dancer." His name was actually Ram Gopal, a true queer icon to me, who popularized many traditional Asian dances in Europe during and after World War II. There are so many layers of "cancellation" inside that museum...

Fabrizio: How did that discovery make you feel?

Sophia: It was surprising to me that his name was not there. In contrast, throughout the museum, there are so many names of people who acquired those works and objects, and by acquired, I really mean stole. Sa it's always as if you don't know from whom this or that object was taken, but you know who took it. It's like a criminal record... So, this is the theme of the video: it was very much about repopulating the museum space with people who have remained nameless or have been cancelled, with their stories, alternative narratives, or different stories.

Fabrizio: How did you develop the idea of dealing with the technological theme present in the work?

Sophia: You mean the intermezzos on Artificial Intelligence?

Fabrizio: I'm talking about the theme of the automata. About how the technology of the past seems to be a reference to the dilemma of today's technology.

Sophia: The theme of Al is something that is omnipresent these days, and many curators want the artists to reflect and talk about it.

Fabrizio: Is this what you specifically desired?

Sophia: The original brief was about automata, and I immediately thought of the most obvious automaton: "Tipu's Tiger," the mechanical sculpture depicting a tiger mauling a British soldier. It's just an elaborate prank, albeit incredibly sophisticated, stemming from a history of puppetry and mechanical toys in Islamic culture. In the seventeenth crentu there was a famous clock in Baghdad, and "Tipu's Tiger" comes from that era of automata and even primitive calculators. It's from there that the mathematical foundations of today's technologies which we have in the West originated because Islam preserved them.

Fabrizio: If I'm not mistaken, numbers come from India, and Islam, as you said, preserved them and from there they arrived in the West.

Sophia: Yes, I mean, all ancient Vedic knowledge is very similar to all the physics we know now. It was already proven.

Fabrizio: That's very interesting, this kind of ping-pong between the East and the West in the history of culture.

Sophia: It is. Well, at least we can agree on the numbers. They're easier than Roman numerals.

Fabrizio: Starting from your artistic practice, how do you think fashion can empower people, especially women?"

Sophia: "TIGER STRIKE RED" was the first time I worked with a designer to create some characters, and this interaction really gave me a new level of narrative. Indeed, countless layers within each character emerged through the clothes. Whether you want to call it fashion or clothing, it acts in many ways like a sort of armor. Every season, every year, it seems like I understand a bit more how important it is. It was also the first time I deeply engaged with shapes for instance, and what they mean. How a person turns out, and the power that comes from it, like the power of wearing an all-black outfit or a hijab, was truly intense. Working in a museum every day, I saw how people reacted differently based on different ways of dressing and in different contexts. So I feel that through fashion people have the opportunity to enhance themselves by creating something of a character for themselves every day.

Fabrizio: One of the first fashion articles I read as a teenager was written by Bob Colacella an American writer who was the business genius behind Andy Warhol's Factory. In the article, Solacelle discussed style and pointed out how people with style can be divided into those who choose a single style and stick with it consistently throughout their lives, like a sort of armet, and those who are more chameleon-like. What is your style?

Sophia: I feel like I want the right to change. When people get used to seeing you in a certain way, it's a kind of death. When your clothing is always the same, and your hairstyle is always the same, and you have a special t-shirt that you really love, and you have ten of them, I admire this because it means you can be more efficient in your daily routine. I understand this need because it's really tempting. I'd love to have the same outfit every day, but I go through phases, and the freedom to experiment helps me a lot to grow.

Fabrizio: Can you give me an example?

Sophia: During COVID, I intensely felt the need to have galet in my life and on my body. Suddenly, I started dressing a bit like a clown, always wearing very colorful clothes. It's literally what got me through the darkest period of the quarantine. Walking down the street, it almost seemed like a public service offered by people. Every time I saw someone with eccentric clothing, I thought,

"You made me happy today." If I ever find a uniform, I just hope it's comfortable.

Fabrizio: Style, power, and empowerment are fascinating themes. What do you think, for example, about Anna Wintour's famous bob haircut: is it a matter of style or power?

Sophia: I think it's more of an iconographic issue. When you become an icon with a set appearance, it becomes "iconic," a word that is always circulating in fashion. You know, it works exactly like the church or any other religion that uses an icon as a symbol of power to which they can attach other elements.

It's the same thing. That's exactly why I personally feel the need to change all the time. I just shaved my head this summer; I had long hair until July 30.

Fabrizio: You are very different from your official portrait, as a matter of fact.

Sophia: Yes, it's a very different look. What's the point of life if we can't surprise ourselves? One of the beautiful things about collaborating with a designer for your look, for example, is that I would never choose certain things for myself, and then suddenly a friend or anyone else comes along and says, "Why don't you try this?"

Fabrizio: You are taking part (until November 26, 2023, Editor's note), with your work The Future Was Desert, in the exhibition "Everybody Talks About the Weather" at the Prada Foundation in Venice. Do you have a personal affinity with Miuccia Prada?

Sophia: Yes, I do. I think it existed even before we met, even from a distance.

There is something in her grace and austerity, not only in her work and mastery in the world of Prada / Miu Miy but also in terms of her presence in the art world and the encouragement and support she provides, and which is lacking in many places. She seems like a kind of beacon for how things could be, and how they could be managed.

Fabrizio: How did your first meeting go?

Sophia: Miuccia Prada said some very wise things in my presence that I found very striking, concerning history and the world and how to influence the world in a gentle and subtle way for the better. I find this attitude to be greatly inspiring.

Fabrizio: Do you think this might be what is referred to as soft power?

Sophia: I suppose so... I mean, the term "soft power" is hard for me to use at a personal level. Because when I think of soft power, I think of shopping malls, for example; that's American soft power.

Fabrizio: The CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour comes to mind, for example.

Sophia: Yes, it's interesting in a journalistic sense because I think the presence of Christiane Amanpour, her mere presence on television in America or the West, has been significant. Sometimes, just showing up as your authentic self is enough. I feel this way, especially regarding giving transgender people the opportunity to play roles in the gender they prefer. It shouldn't be a complicated issue, but right now, their presence and their simple ability to do it and occupy a certain place and role is in itself revolutionary. I think the implicit feminism of people like Christiane Amanpour or Miuccia Prada is very revolutionary and inclusive for everyone. I appreciate that kind of long-term presence in the media, fashion, art, or in any other field. I admire it greatly.

Fabrizio: The flirtation between art and fashion is something historical but also very topical. When artists have a strong connection with designers, they always end up creating something innovative. What did you specifically want to achieve with your installation for the SS 2024 Miu Miu fashion show?

Sophia: Well, I find it interesting that you placed it in a broader historical context because I think the two things influence each other reciprocally.

Fabrizio: It's very hard not to refer to the relationship between fashion and art, starting from Schiaparelli and Dalí...

Sophia: The relationship between Dali and Schiapparell, was one of the great creative synergies of the 1930s, but I think this theme could be unraveled by going much further back. Personally, I'm a real enthusiast of the French Revolution and that cultural historical moment.

Fabrizio: So we could it trace back to the origins of the modern luxury market driven by Jean-Baptiste Colbert, minister at the court of Louis XIV in eighteenth-century France...

Sophia: For now we could avoid that (laughs). But going back to the project for Miu Miy, it seemed like a sort of courtship. I'm usually diffident when it comes to glamour, but meeting Signora Prada was absolute enthralling. In the world of art there are very few people who are as curious and open-minded. There is something about fashion's need to constantly change by reinventing itself and at the same time answer to the cultural currents that push us forward, which ! find to be missing in much of today's art. It is not so much a question of progress or of political declarations as of true reflections. The main thing is that I wanted to ask the public questions, in particular: "What if you weren't the good guy in your story, but the bad quy in someone else's?" My most, important artistic concern is perspective.

Fabrizio: What can you tell us about your next project?

Sophia: In working on a choral fin made in the Low Couniries withthe

Mondriaan Fund, an institute for the promotion of visual arts and cultural heritage headquartered in Amsterdam. During this project we had many discussions and considerations on the theme of community and solidarity that will indeed be the focus. I can tell you that the collaborators so far have included Shuang Li, Martine Sxms, Ryan Tregartin, Joshua Fay (who composed the opening soundtrack for Miu Mit show), Tia Campbell, Wu Tsang, and others still are on the way.