Dimensions: object: 800 x 1645 x 300 mm
Copyright: © Saloua Raouda Choucair Foundation | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Saloua Raouda Choucair's "Poem Wall" at the Tate Modern is a striking piece, made of what appears to be painted concrete blocks. It feels almost architectural in its construction. What strikes you about the process and materials in this work? Curator: Considering Choucair’s interest in modularity, it begs the question, how does the act of physically assembling these blocks—a very hands-on process—inform the 'poem' it represents? Is the labour involved essential to understanding its meaning beyond a purely formal arrangement? Editor: That's a great point! It's easy to get lost in the visual, but thinking about the work that went into its construction adds another layer. Curator: Precisely. Thinking about the time, effort and resources informs our understanding beyond just aesthetics. Editor: I'll definitely look at similar works with that perspective from now on! Thanks!
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From the early 1960s Choucair created sculptures consisting of interlocking pieces. She was inspired by qasida, a modular form of Arabic poetry. Individual stanzas have their own identity, while still contributing to the unity of the whole poem. Choucair thought of her works as ‘sculptural poems’. She explained: ‘I wanted rhythm like the poetic meter, to be at once more independent and interlinked, and to have lines like meanings, but plastic meanings.’ Informed by theories of quantum physics and Islamic theology, her works invite the viewer to imagine alternative compositions. These are suggested by the visible points of intersection between separate sculptural forms. Gallery label, November 2021
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