MONA HATOUM

A set of colourful and beautifully crafted ceramic pieces is arranged uniformly on top of a table. These alluring and incredibly tactile small objects seem like they are designed to perfectly fit the hand. Upon closer examination, these apparently innocent vessels reveal themselves as being casts of hand grenades: they represent instruments of destruction and mutilation.

This work is quite typical of the way Mona Hatoum formally employs the language of Minimalism to reflect upon the inner or hidden violence in contemporary society. The neutrality of the table—a piece of generic office furniture—also evokes a police exhibit or forensic science. Playing with representation, the artist also seems to refer to the traditional genre of the still life, which often features cut fruit, flowers or dead animals.

MONA HATOUM (Beirut, Líbano, 1952). Still-Life, 2009. Ceramic, wood and steel. 87.5 x 180 x 90 cm.

Related Images

Other stops

Centro Botín

Albareda Dock no/d,

Peredas gardens

Can we help you?

If you need information or want to make a suggestion, please contact us below. Thank you.

Choose the reason for the message

Are you a friend of Centro Botín?

What do you want to ask us about?



We use cookies to gather data about your visit and analyse it in order to improve our website and serve personalised content. Go to our cookie policy for further information and manage your cookie settings.

Cookie settings

Choose the types of cookies you want to allow on our website and then click the save button to save your preferences.

Functional cookiesFunctional cookies are used to ensure the proper functioning of the website.

Analytical cookiesAnalytical cookies are used to analyse site usage for greater optimisation and usability.

Social media cookiesSocial media cookies are used to connect the website to third-party social media platforms like YouTube and Facebook. They can track your personal data.

Advertising cookiesAdvertising cookies are designed to gather information from you on your device to display third-party advertisements on relevant topics based on your interests. They can track your personal data.

OthersThis website also uses third-party cookies for services other than analytics, social media and advertising.