Published on the occasion of Ali Kaaf's exhibition Ich bin ein Fremder. Zweifach Fremder at the Museum für Islamische Kunst in the Pergamonmuseum Berlin, the catalogue documents the sculptural intervention created in the context of the Mschatta Façade. The eventful history of this icon of Islamic architectural culture is not only a metaphor for human existence, but also equally for the biography of the German-Syrian artist. The volume is augmented to include works on paper from past groups of works in the Rift series and Byzantine Corner, which illustrate Kaaf's intermedial working method. In subtle, abstract imagery, he works with layerings, incisions, burns, photography and digital image processing. Through the artistic exploration of breakages and reassemblages, complex spatial voids emerge that reflect both intercultural and internal processes.
Algerian-born German-Syrian artist ALI KAAF (*1977) lives and works in Berlin, where he studied fine arts at the Universität der Künste. His works are equally influenced by European and Arabic culture and art tradition and can be found in both European and Asian collections.