Mona Marzouk: Trayvon

For her first solo show in Cairo since 2006 Marzouk presents a new series of paintings collectively titled Trayvon. The project takes the courtroom as its starting point. The past few years of demonstrations and socio-political upheaval have been intense, and the courtroom as a space in these unfolding narratives has been featured extensively in the media, as a space for the implementation of justice. But, the rule of law and justice are in many cases at opposite ends of the spectrum. The courtroom as a psychological space, as a space of argumentation, and as a problematic construct leads to research of cases in different parts of the world where there has been an evident miscarriage of justice or a wrongful conviction. Cases in the present and in history, and speculations about such cases in the future.  These trials generate the material from which the paintings are made. Evidence, phrases, and uttered sentences become forms, shapes, and colors. The project’s title refers to the much-publicized case of Trayvon Martin.