In the summer of 2010, I was asked to participate in a collaboration with DePaul Law School’s International Human Rights Law Institute. Between 2003 and 2008, DePaul had collected close to 9,000 stories of Iraqi human rights abuses from the victims and perpetrators, during the Saddam Hussein regime to the American occupation. I was asked to read 60 of these stories and artistically interpret one of them. As I read through these stories I was amazed and deeply saddened, they were unlike anything I’ve ever read, totally devastating. I knew I couldn’t show just one story and I didn’t want to exploit these people’s loss. So I made books of these victim’s words. As I was reading the stories, what jumped out at me were the profound statements of loss, the sad statements of hope, and the terrifying statements of horror. So I taught myself how to make books and I hand embroidered books of Loss, Hope and Horror.
These books are hand embroidered and hand bound. They measure 16 inches tall by 23 inches wide. There are 10 quotes in the Book of Hope, 14 quotes in the Book of Loss and 18 quotes in the Book of Horror.
I remember when I was 18 or so I would go to nightclubs in Manchester and take E or acid and shadows shifting up and down the walls swans, red glass purred me to sleep candle at my mum's ornaments...
The show is a reflection of Liu Bolin's multifaceted and complex view of contemporary society and culture. The critically acclaimed and internationally renowned artist will release the first works of a new series, Hiding in California.
