Comrade leader, comrade leader, how nice to see you

During the Lebanese wars, many militias formed, almost out of the blue. They were supported with cash and weapons by different patrons. To honor their backers, many militias decided to name beautiful Lebanese waterfalls after the leaders of the countries backing them. And when the alliances shifted, they simply decided to rename the waterfall again, and again, and again. Locals today refer to all waterfalls as the “Fickle Falls.” Here, I am exhibiting an installation inspired by this story. Below the falls, I placed all the leaders who had the waterfalls named after them. (Walid Raad)

Production Walid Raad. Production company Walid Raad (Medusa, USA). Director Walid Raad. Editing Walid Raad.

Walid Raad is an artist and a Professor of Art at the Cooper Union School of Art, New York. Raad’s works include THE ATLAS GROUP, a project between 1989 and 2004 about the contemporary history of Lebanon, and the ongoing projects SCRATCHING ON THINGS I COULD DISAVOW and SWEET TALK: COMMISSIONS (BEIRUT). Raad’s solo exhibitions include the Louvre, Paris; MoMA, New York; ICA, Boston; Museo Jumex, Mexico City; and Kunsthalle Zürich. His works have also been shown in numerous museums, biennales and venues in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas. Raad is also the recipient of several grants, prizes and awards. He lives and works in New York.

Films: 1997: I only wish that I could weep (8 min.). 1999: The Dead Weight of a Quarrel Hangs (17 min.), Miraculous beginnings & No, illness is neither here nor there (2 min.). 2006: We can make rain but no one came to ask (18 min.). 2010: Views From Outer to Inner Compartments (video installation, 15 min.). 2011: APT: Artist pension trust (video installation). 2013: Preface to the fourth edition (video installation, 13 min.). 2018: Les Louvres: Section 7, 11 and 17 (video installation, 18 min.). 2019: Sweet Talks: Commisions (Solidere: 1994-1997) (4 min.). 2022: Comrade leader, comrade leader, how nice to see you.