Wafaa Bilal Art Debut at Lake Forest College

Lake Forest College Artist in Residence, Wafaa Bilal, will debut two new artworks, “The Comfort Zone” and “The American” at the Sonnenschein Gallery in the Durand Art Institute on North Campus. Both video installations will address modernity¹s deepening desensitization to violence. The installations are inspired by Bilal’s brother¹s death in 2004 by a Predator drone attack in Al Kufa, Iraq. Bilal’s “The Comfort Zone” will bring viewers in front of the lens in a confrontation between perceived violence and a visceral reaction to it.

Bilal is transforming the face of art with political and social themes. Often controversial, Bilal’s work, combines modern interactive technologies with provocative visuals. As a witness to, and victim of Saddam Hussein¹s brutal rule, Bilal¹s reaction has been to create work that illuminates disparities between the comfortable and remote aspects of life in the the U.S. and the violence of war in Iraq.

Praised by the Chicago Tribune as one of the sharpest works of political art, Bilal’s 2004 Domestic Tension reinvigorated debate on the Iraqi war. Placing himself at the mercy of a paintball gun controlled by online viewers, “Domestic Tension” skillfully challenged the concept of virtual war. Today, Bilal’s works have become increasingly forceful and intrusive.