Kader Attia

The Repair from Occident to Extra-Occidental Cultures . 2012

+ GALLERIA CONTINUA . Latitudes

Kader Attia’s “Repair From Occident to Extra-Occidental Cultures,” a daunting installation that reflects on art, colonialism and body scarification in Africa but draws its main force from a set of large carved-wood busts depicting the horrific face wounds suffered by European soldiers in World War I. Gripping yet also illustrational, the piece exemplifies several archivelike works here. It also reflects the continuing hegemony of late-late Conceptualism — now extravagantly materialized and labor-intensive — over the international exhibition circuit.
Roberta Smith . The New York Times