William Kentridge: A Shadow of a Shadow

Overview

A master draughtsman, illustrator, filmmaker and sculptor, William Kentridge is also a prolific theatre-maker who has collaborated with local theatre groups and world-renowned opera houses. The first exhibition to focus solely on Kentridge’s theatre practice, A Shadow of a Shadow surveys 23 performances created by Kentridge from the late 1980s to the present. The exhibition title is taken from a shadow play by Ibn Daniyal, the thirteenth-century Arab playwright and puppeteer who invented irreverent characters often defying authorities and the status quo. Presenting drawings, puppets, props, costumes, animations and stage backdrops, the exhibition explores how Kentridge’s artistic practice revolves around different theatrical projects that consistently critique the different manifestations of authoritarianism through time.

The exhibition is curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director of Sharjah Art Foundation, and Tarek Abou El Fetouh, Senior Curator and Director of the Performance Department, with May Alqaydi, Assistant Curator, and Khalid Mohammed, Curatorial Assistant, Sharjah Art Foundation.