Oraib Toukan is a visual artist working in photography, video, and public interventions and participatory installation projects out of Amman and New York.  Author of various video/text installations such as ‘remind me to remember to forget’ and ‘Trying to Count Memories with out Laughter’s Disruption’ as well as other socio-political-critical investigations into the role of collective memory, identity politics, and the absurd in the re-reading of history. Initiated and managed well-known experimental arts programs in Jordan including the Shatana International Triangle Arts workshop, as well as the video-based Pictures Advocating Change Program and Intel sound/image labs for youth in Jordan.
 
                                                                             Biography    
Born in Boston, USA 1977
M.FA. ongoing; Bard College; Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts, New York
Speos Photography Institute; Paris, France: Courses under French Cultural Center Grant 2003
B.Sc. 1998 & M.Sc. 2001; London School of Economics, London, England
 
                                                                            Awards & Fellowships
2008    Jacob Javits MFA Scholarship Fellowship
2007    MAWRED production grant for the project ‘Middle East Catalogue’
2007    AFAC production and publication grant for ‘Mapping Us’.
2007    Bard MFA admission’s fellowship
2006    International Artists Fellowship and Residency ART OMI, New York
2005    Pro-Helvetia Arts Council Residency, Gasteatelier Krone; Aarau, Switzerland
2005    Triangle Arts Residency Workshop, Alay International Artists Workshop; Lebanon
2004    Ford Foundation Fellowship, Vermont Studio Center; Vermont and NYC
2004    Third Prize; When honor becomes shame; Lebanese Al Safeer newspaper photo awards
2002    First Prize; Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts photo competition; 3 pieces on archive
2001    London School of Economics, ADMIS admissions award
 
                                                                             Selected Exhibitions
2008    ‘Remind me to remember to forget’, Vidéothéque Ephémére, VIDEOFORMES, Clermont-Ferrand Cedex , France
2008    ‘Knafeh Falso’, Food tasting/intervention; Fondazione Pistoletto, CEMAC, La Spezia, Italy
2008    ‘The New(er) Middle East’, Algerian Contemporary Art Museum, Algeria
2007    ‘Can you see me: Monologues in Air’, large public-intervention on 7 rooftops in downtown, Amman
2007    ‘16 to 24 stupid images I feel when I am made to feel stupid’, Act of Faith, Noorderlicht, Holland
2007    Counting Memories, Solo Show, Darat Al Funun, Amman
2007    ‘UnTitled’ series, Swedish-Jordanian collaborative show, National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman
2007    Remind me to remember to forget, Roger Smith’s Lab Gallery, New York City
2007    Remind me to remember to forget, Biennial Sao Paulo-Valencia, Spain
2006    Good morning Beirut, Mixed-media installation ART OMI, New York
2006    Remind me to remember to forget, Video 2’50”; ART OMI New York, Espace SD & X-anadu, Beirut
2005    Inside out; 5’ public video installations; Aarau, Switzerland
2005  What would she say about it; 13’ public video installations; Aarau, Switzerland
2005    The Presidential Bed, Mixed-media installation & video installation, Triangle Arts, AIWA; Lebanon
2004    Dislocating Contexts, Mixed-media installation, Amman Meeting Points; Jordan
2004    Context Matters, Photo performance/Intervention, Red Mill Gallery; Vermont, USA
2004    Somewhere, Video installation; 4’00”, French Cultural Centre; Damascus, Syria
2004    Dogma, Photography works, Tunis Biennale; Tunis, Tunisia  
2003   Proud Peacocks, Photography works, British Council; London, England
2003    Public Space Private Mind, Photo installation; Makan cultural space, Amman, &
2003    Public Space Private Mind, Le Pont Gallery International Women’s Festival; Aleppo, Syria
2003    Kitchen Series, Photography works, Fifth International Women’s Festival-Le Pont Gallery; Aleppo  
2003    Hues, Photography works, The National Gallery of Fine Arts; Amman, Jordan
2002    Café series, Photography works, The National Gallery of Fine Arts; Amman, Jordan
                                                                    
                                                                         Lectures and Talks
2006    The box within the box; guest speaker, ‘Religious conflict and the role of the Arts’ symposium, Boomerang theater/Playhouse production; Monaghan, Ireland
2005    Contemporary Arab Practices, Artist Talk; guest speaker at the Art and Public Space Graduate Program, University of Luzerne, Switzerland
2005    Artists presentations at ART OMI, New York, and AIWA Lebanon
 
                                                                         Selected bibliography
Solo show review Counting Memories in  Art Forum by Kaelen Wilson-Goldie  (November 2007 issue)
Solo show review Counting Memories s in Bidoun (Fall issue) by Nat Muller; 7 other local and regional reviews
‘The stranger’, Modern Painters, June 2007
Monologue Essays, by Nat Muller, Pierre Abisaab, & Salma Shalbi (2007)
Meeting Points, Diala Khasawneh, Bidoun reviews, winter 05
Nasrallah…super star, Pierre Abi Saab, Al Akhbar, Nov 06
Interviews with Al Arab Al and Tayki Magazine by Yousef Al Najjar, June 03
International Women Artists, Photographia, Joseph al Hajj May 03
Pulic Space Private Mind, Sima Zureikat, JO Magazine, October 03
Exhibit at Makan: the cry of the camera, Samira Awad, Al Rai Newspaper Sep 02
 
 
 
 
 
 
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