The Soldier's Ironic Moral Compass According to Saher Nasser

In this new exhibition, the Palestinian artist Saher Nassar returns to dedicate his attention to the theme of power and does so through the choice of a subject, the soldier, who is the emblem and visible symbol of what power is within a hierarchical structure in which it is part of a larger and more complex mechanism. Soldiers undergo rigorous training, sometimes bordering on indoctrination, to carry out commands that often go beyond their wishes or intentions. They become pieces of a domino effect, operating in environments they cannot control. The visual language that the artist adopts to tell this story is that of a simplified image, where the soldier's body becomes a mere form, almost a cut-out and schematized figure, inserted in a surreal context of comic-book colors and where his identity it is always made anonymous, unrecognizable, part of a universe where the subjects are faceless, unreal and therefore somehow immaterial. The artist's stylistic choices, juxtaposed against such grave topics, present a visual paradox. Using an unconventional palette and medium, the artwork renders these complex issues both accessible and readily understood by its audience.