Sobia Ahmad

Remove and Dissolve

2018

Engraved acrylic, ink, water, cloth

33 pieces, 3.5x5 in. each (Standard passport size)

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In June 2018, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s Executive Order, which bans travel to the United States from several predominantly Muslim countries (also known as The Muslim Ban). While reading the Opinion of the Court, I was struck by the violent and dehumanizing language used to describe those who are not U.S. citizens. The engraved text is a “found poem” composed of language extracted from the Court ruling. This is an interactive piece; viewers are asked to remove and dissolve the language.

                                                                                                                     

Photos by Susannah Stevens