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Clapback Fury

Saeeda Saeed

Solo exhibition

13 November – 18 December 2021
Groenmarkt, Middelburg (Map)

Clapback Fury | Saeeda Saeed

In 2018, the state-supported Saudi Electronic Army created thousands of fake Twitter accounts to promote the veneration of rulers both online and offline. Similarly, in 2017, legislation was put in place where "retweeting narratives that go against the state, the royal family or religion" is seen as an act of terrorism punishable by a thousand lashes and a 10-year jail sentence. Critics, both in and out of the kingdom, end up harmed with their families and friends threatened, shamed and harrassed.

In response to this reality and throughout her practice, Saeeda Saeed has been devising counterstrategies to somehow disturb these well-oiled machines. Especially with the constant loss of both physical and digital autonomy for individuals around the globe, she attempted to claim some semblance of control through the rhythm and dance piece, Clapback Fury (2021). Comparable to the gameplay of Dance Dance Revolution, each step produces nonsensical meme insults and directly tags Saudi state-run accounts with the intent of drowning out official tweets. The work uses play, humor and joy as a means of release, a joy that opposes the despair of a political reality without an alternative.

The exhibition of Saeeda Saeed was the second of three exhibitions part of a collaboration with the Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund.

The Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund was established in 2020 and is part of the Hartwig Art Foundation. Every year, the fund supports a group of artists in creating new and ambitious work. The works of art are eventually purchased by the Hartwig Art Foundation and donated to the Netherlands Collection. For 2021-2022, the Hartwig Art Foundation collaborates with five art spaces in the Netherlands to present work by the 15 artists that have been supported with a grant in 2020: Kunstinstituut Melly (Rotterdam), Stroom (Den Haag), Oude Kerk (Amsterdam), Casco Art Institute (Utrecht) and Vleeshal in Middelburg.

As part of a collaboration with the Hartwig Art Production | Collection Fund, Vleeshal showed new works of three artists at various surprising satellite locations in the city of Middelburg.

Series

In 2015 Vleeshal kicked of its Nomadic Program, as an extension of its existing exhibition program in Middelburg. In its Nomadic Program Vleeshal goes on tour, organising exhibitions and other events in collaboration with venues in the Netherlands and abroad, such as Art Rotterdam, Amsterdam Art Weekend, the Spring Performance Festival, WIELS Art Book Fair, Brussels and Poppositions, Brussels.