Mona Hatoum and the Biographical Influence on Cross-Cultural Exchange

Artist Mona Hatoum, a Palestinian born in Beruit and educated in London, has experienced the boundaries and displacement of exile. These have become influential in her work and are implied within some of her statements. My research of 14 scholarly articles and books compares the external experiences of a double-exile directly to her subjectivity. This artist is one of many with the potential to exhibit cultural exchange within art as a manifestation of hybridization of different cultures, but often times she does not acknowledge this multiplicity. Because Hatoum values the way viewers experience and interpret her installations, her themes are made ambiguous promoting a type of universality, although, as I want to argue, are linked to her biography. Hatoum creates a distance by requiring the body or the absence thereof. Her intentions are given physical form through the space of her minimalistic installations, creating an experience of displacement, which resonates with themes of exile. I have found through research and personal analysis that misinterpretation of her work occurs when over-emphasis is placed on her origins and a separation from western influences is assumed. Although her aesthetic concerns are important, I see her biography equally important towards affecting the subject matter and communication of her work. Hatoum’s denial of the importance of biography complicates the ability of her works to communicate her experiences, ultimately limiting possibilities. I have found the connection of biography to creation essential to thorough understanding and something that would present audiences with opportunity for authentic cultural exchange