Unmade Films
16 inkjet printed movie posters, 32" x 45" (81.3 x 114.3 cm) each
2022
Unmade Films is a series of posters for 16 imaginary films that will never be made. Each poster in the series is designed around a unique still image taken from A Moving Target, an accompanying filmic work produced in tandem.
At first sight, the typical graphic elements and the cinematic vernacular of these posters may suggest that they are advertising real, existing films. However, a closer reading reveals otherwise: names of actors have been replaced with evocative notions that suggest storylines and plots, and what appears disguised as production credits are poems composed by the artist to reflect upon topics such as narratology, the creative act of writing, the cultural figure of the author, and the limits of authorship. By employing such visual mimicry, the series investigates cinematic tropes and creates narrative frameworks that function as placeholders, inviting the viewer to imagine their own versions of the stories these films may tell.
Relevant links:
Artforum Critics' Picks - review by Kaya Genç
Delfina Foundation - Platform - conversation with Nabila Abdel Nabi
Unmade Films was produced with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, the City of Toronto through the Toronto Arts Council, and Delfina Foundation, London.
All installation views at BüroSarıgedik Display, Istanbul, 2022. Photos by Kayhan Kaygusuz.
