Remains of the Day 2018

Mona Hatoum's 'Remains of the Day' presents a ghostly tableau of furniture crafted from wire mesh. The stark monochrome palette and the open structure of the wire invite us to see through the objects, making us aware of the space around and within them. Up close, you can see the delicate yet rigid nature of the mesh. It's a skin, of sorts, defining form while also allowing light and air to pass. There’s something both familiar and unsettling about this. Like a memory of a domestic scene, that’s now fragmented. The black paint covering the horizontal surface of the table is viscous, and the pools and drips form a stark contrast to the rigid geometry of the mesh, lending the scene a sinister edge. It makes me think of the artist, Eva Hesse, with her exploration of the absurd, using everyday materials to evoke both beauty and discomfort. Ultimately, Hatoum leaves us to piece together the narrative, making the artwork a space for contemplation and personal projection.