Butcher Bliss

Focusing on the ways in which memory is constructed both on individual and political levels, Nadia Kaabi-Linke unveils the hidden traces borne by bodies, objects, and urban landscapes. Her works that stem from extensive and meticulous research processes focus on complex and sensitive topics like war, trauma, domestic violence, gender, migration, and borders. These visually captivating and sophisticated works mostly represent transformed expressions of pain and violence, thus calling for an attentive eye and mental engagement from the audience for the discovery of the reality that lies beyond the surface.

"Butcher Bliss", consists of four porcelain plates ornamented with elegant textures and patterns. Suspended on a metal hanger with hooks, these plates are castings of the inner walls of cattle’s stomachs, each presenting distinct textures and possessing a fragile beauty. "Butcher Bliss" takes its cue from the newly-butchered animal carcasses displayed still as covered in blood in the windows of Tunisian butcher shops whose names often carry words such as “joy”, “bliss” and “peace”. Through this work, the artist, who often experiments with contrasting concepts in her practice, raises a dialogue around the act of violence that becomes ordinary in quotidian life by transforming the grim reality into objects that look like porcelain tableware.