Gideon Rubin in conversation with Dr. Khonsari

Gideon Rubin in conversation with surgeon Dr. Roman Khonsari

This interdisciplinary conversation between artist and surgeon was imagined and orchestrated by Anahita Vessier, founder of @anahita’seye, consultant, artistic project director and curator. The exchange invites the audience to dive deeper into Rubin’s work and to discover unexplored corners of his artistic universe, as seen from the perspective of Dr. Khonsari, scientist of humanities. 
 
From protesters in Hong Kong to spectators of the film Joker, which features an urban revolt led by a grimacing clown, the face becomes an important issue of political and social commitment, identification and recognition. The states and multinational organizations that collect computer data are interested in this facial recognition. Many are against this practice as they believe covering their face with a mask is a way of preserving their freedom. But what remains of their identity when their faces are hidden ? Projecting an identity onto deleted faces, is a prominent feature in Rubin’s work as well as in Dr. Khonsari’s daily practice as a maxillofacial surgeon, reconstructing faces lost to accidents and diseases.
Both are craftsmen of faceless memories, mastering exceptional manual skills, one with a brush, the other with a scalpel, and constantly questioning the significance of history, memories, traces of life and the identity of featureless faces.

A Stranger's Hand is on view at Galerie Karsten Greve Paris until January 16, 2021.