While in residency, he had heard the locals talking about how the water had risen to knee-level after the flood. After hearing the phrase “water rising to knee-level”, Yass was reminded of the medieval tale about the “rivers of blood” in Jerusalem after the Christian crusaders conquered the Muslim Fatimid Caliphate and won the city in 1099. In legend, upon hearing rumours that the bloodshed was so extreme that it reached knee height, both the Muslims and the crusaders asked if the blood reached their knees while they were standing or riding on their horses. A deeper “river of blood” would signify greater and more gruesome bloodshed.
Ala Younis, artist and Co-Artistic Director of Singapore Biennale 2022’s says, “This question of estimation and calculation, of probing memories of war, upon thinking of nature, or any violence, and of a human body and how it finds its resemblance to far more complex settings and representations, are the foundations of Ali Yass’s work. By asking these questions, Yass was able to see the floods through the lens of his personal experience of displacement.”
This story is from the March 2023 edition of The PEAK Singapore.
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This story is from the March 2023 edition of The PEAK Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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