Thaer Marouf: Crowd Inside

It is said that the herd behavior is an attribute of primitive societies. Our objective here is not to dissect the philosophical aspect or even the tribal behavior in our approach as the public is often the stronger element in an artistic activity or phenomenon, be it an exhibition, a play or a concert?
Out of passion to understand the non understandable people seek answers in art. Equipped with their education, values, impressions, or cognitions they pass their judgment, sometimes unjustifiably hard see destructive.
The art in its human side faces a divergence between the artist?s vision through his works and the response of the viewer. In post-modernism, art has become conditioned by its commercial facet, by the artist?s individualismand the overwhelming marketing endeavor. Museums have to a great extent taken the attribute of shopping malls with cafes, restaurants, souvenir shops, book stores and entertainment areas, museum goers interact differently than in days past when museums were cultural spaces for through exhibiting art.
Here it brings questions to my mind; who are the viewers? How do they interact with art and why do they even attend exhibitions? Do they leave the exhibiting space fulfilled after the viewing? Do they vibrate to the art piece? Do they actually see what is displayed? How much do they assimilate and in how much time?
In this installation, I have positioned the public inside the exhibiting space, frozen in front of a void artistic condition; it is an inert imitation of the people standing outside. I am even moved to a higher concept: are the people outside the reality and the ones inside illusion? Is it the other way around? Is the art collector, the one who can afford it the one who really deserves to own it? It is you who are inside gazing in the emptiness, the painting declaring its estrangement because you simply can?t reach & turn it to see its face? your curiosity will linger & most likely will remain with no satisfaction.