‘The Oath’ solo exhibition by Alfred Tarazi

In The Oath, Alfred Tarazi goes beyond the mere presentation of his work, to propagate an idea in order to involve the audience in suggestions, memories and visual stimulation. With the works presented in this first solo exhibition at The Running Horse, Alfred creates an all-encompassing sensory experience that invites the audience to relive certain fragments from the past in a carefully orchestrated exhibition.

Although the works might seem more abstract, all the elements of Alfred’s work remain recognisable and fit in in his bigger scheme of a war memorial for all the victims. Flex, paper rolls, spools, sound, silk-screens all come together to tell the story of a country’s bloody past through the eyes of a boy who stands alone in a scouts outfit holding a cat and looks at a country going through the last agonies of an internecine war and facing an uncertain future.

Alfred combines all the scattered fragments of collective and personal memories in an attempt to rearrange the chaos, to somehow make sense of senseless acts of violence. But uncertainty is unavoidable. What is the purpose of those recurring scenes and imagery? Is it a difficulty to reconcile with a country at peace but that did not mourn its dead? How can one tackle unresolved scars? The works might not offer an answer but reflect a reality where answers and coming to terms with the past are still out of reach.

Yet through the evolution of technique, new exploration of media, and a constant momentum to find new ways of materialising a concept, Alfred remains socially and politically engaged with a constantly evolving visual language.