IMAGE: Asad Faulwell, Les Femmes d'Alger #28, 2013, acrylic, oil, paper and pins on canvas, 60 x 144 in. (152.4 x 365.8 cm)

“Les Femmes D'Alger #28 is the newest piece in a series depicting female combatants from the Algerian War of Independence against France. These women carried out attacks in the French quarter of Algiers against French civilians, and were either captured or killed by the French military. Those who were captured were subjected to brutal torture, eventually convicted of murder, and sentenced to death. After the war they were all pardoned by Charles De Gaulle and returned to Algeria only to find that they had a great deal of difficulty being accepted back into Algerian society. In these pieces, I attempt to depict these women as aggressors and victims, saints and criminals. Visually, I draw from Islamic architecture and Christian icons as well as the Pattern & Decoration movement. The title of the piece references the historical Les Femmes D'Alger series by Eugéne Delacroix and Pablo Picasso. While the anonymous women in the Delacroix and Picasso works were depicted as sexual objects in an Orientalist scene, I attempt to depict these women as complex individuals who defy simple classification.”

– Asad Faulwell

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Les Femmes d'Alger #28 is on view in our current exhibition Rogue Wave 2013 through August 23rd.

Interested in learning more about Asad Faulwell‘s work? Hear him speak in this week’s Rogue Wave artist talk, Thursday, August 1, 6:30pm.

As space is limited, reservations are recommended. Please RSVP to (310) 822-4955 or rsvp@lalouver.com.