Cuadro

Nadine Kanso’s “Khaled” series is a portrait of her late uncle. Rather than capturing his likeness, she presents his essence through his vast collection of vinyl records. Despite appearing detached in its formal, almost documentary nature, the indexing is an attempt to impose an ordered archive of her uncle’s records and, by extension, of his spirit. The transient nature of musical formats and their eventual silencing are a metaphor for life and Kanso’s sculptural piece, constructed from now obsolete records, is both ironic and spiritual in its spelling of “Khaled,” immortal in Arabic. Kanso’s work introduces an auditory element to the works, albeit a silent one. Furthermore, her subject allows her to tap into the collective memory triggered by vinyl. There is a familiarity inherent in the records she has photographed given the global nature of pop culture, which allows viewers to carry their own memories, histories and associations to the works.