2 Lizards
Sept 30, 2022–Feb 19, 2023
Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki, still from 2 Lizards, 2020. Video, color, sound; 22:43 min. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; purchase, with funds from the Chemla Family 2021.91. © Meriem Bennani and Orian Barki
2 Lizards, a film by artists Meriem Bennani (b. 1988, Rabat, Morocco; lives and works in New York, NY) and Orian Barki (b. 1985, Israel; lives and works in New York, NY), depicts a surrealist view of the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic as it unfolded in New York City. In the film, two animated anthropomorphized lizards serve as protagonists, moving through a city gripped by a pandemic, extended isolation, and cries for social justice reform. It highlights the helplessness and uncertainty experienced by many at the time, as well as the unexpected moments of shared community and connection. Originally released as an eight-part episodic series on Bennani’s Instagram account, the Whitney’s presentation of 2 Lizards is its first institutional screening as a narrative film.
This installation is organized by Rujeko Hockley, Arnhold Associate Curator at the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Generous support for 2 Lizards is provided by the John R. Eckel, Jr. Foundation.
Additional support is provided by the Artists Council.
Installation photography
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Installation view of 2 Lizards (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 30, 2022 – February, 2023). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of 2 Lizards (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 30, 2022 – February, 2023). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of 2 Lizards (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 30, 2022 – February, 2023). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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Installation view of 2 Lizards (Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, September 30, 2022 – February, 2023). Photograph by Ron Amstutz
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In the News
“…the 2 Lizards series is a time capsule—and a rather uplifting one, when you consider how far we’ve come.” —W Magazine
“Infused with hints of what was deemed as a “new normal” at the time, the sequences contemplate the urban realities of a global emergency…” —The Art Newspaper