B.O,T (Build.Operate.Tarnish), 2024
Layered patchwork textile, Embroidery, Block print
170cm x 70cm - 3 Layers
This artwork is a continuation of the artist’s ongoing research and documentation of Kuwait City’s Modernist Souks. BOT depicts Souk AlWataniya, built during the late 1970s. Three layers of patchwork textiles, block prints, and embroidery depict three elevations of the building. The artwork’s title, BOT (Build. Operate. Tarnish), is a play on the actual BOT (Build, Operate, Transfer) system used in handling public land parcels, where private owners are allowed to build and operate structures on them for a given amount of time before transferring ownership back to the country.
Some developers are allowed to extend the duration of operation should they renovate the buildings. Which raises a challenge in preservation, especially for structures built during the rapid modernization of Kuwait City. The three layers of this tapestry depict the building’s facades and the haphazard renovations and changes implemented by tenants and owners up to the most recent renovation in September 2023. The piece was showcased in a group exhibition - Interwoven Narratives - in The Sultan Gallery, Kuwait in 2024
To learn more about the exhibit click here
Photos by Mohamad Chehimi