Alia Farid: Chibayish
July 22–24, 2022
Alia Farid, still from Chibayish, 2022. Ultra-high-definition video, color, sound; 22:19 min. Image courtesy the artist
Become a member today!
Join now to enjoy early access to exhibitions and events, unlimited free admission, guest privileges, and more.
Join nowThe Susan and John Hess Family Theater is equipped with an induction loop and infrared assistive listening system. Accessible seating is available.
Learn more about access services and programs.
Floor 3, Theater
Alia Farid’s recent work examines how nature in southern Iraq has been viewed as both an accomplice and harborer of political resistance. Filmed at the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Chibayish (2022) records the artist’s interactions with three young marshland residents: Riad Samir and Jassim and Qassim Mohammed. It includes footage of them caring for a water buffalo, describing their geography, naming members of the community, and traversing a marsh engulfed by oil infrastructure and industrial waste. Chibayish is part of a larger group of works that Farid has developed since 2018 focused on the impact of extractive industries on southern Iraq and Kuwait's ecological and social fabric. Like her installation Palm Orchard (2022), also on view at the Whitney, Chibayish is an exploration of cultural identity, history, colonialism, and the right to remain.
Filmed in the southern marshlands of Iraq with Riad Samir and Jassim and Qassim Mohammed. Thank you Hassan Alaydani and Hussein Alasadi DoP and co-editor Muhammed Al Mubarak.
Sound mastering: Joel Rodrigue
Color grading: Belal Hibri