Beauty Spot 2011
54th Venice Art Biennale, Pavilion of Iraq
Colour print, rear projection and wood.
The Gali Ali Beg (Gorge of Ali Beg) waterfall is part of Hamilton Road, built in 1932 under the guidance of New Zealand engineer Sir Archibald Milne Hamilton to link Erbil with the Iranian border. The waterfall has long been a tourist destination in Iraq, featured in Iraqi publications and on the current 5000 Iraqi Dinar note.
Two years ago a drought afflicted the region, and left the waterfall dry in the summer seasons. This prompted the Kurdish government to hire a Lebanese company to divert water to the falls, which involved pumping 250 cubic meters of water/second. The imagery on the note remained intact.
Walid Siti, 2011
Colour print, Wood panel & screen projection.
