Waiting is Forbidden
Brooklyn Museum photograph
Object Label
Mona Hatoum’s blue enamel sign reads “Waiting is forbidden” in English, though the Arabic may be more accurately translated as “No stopping and no loitering.” An ominous warning rather than a precise directive, the phrase evokes the surveillance of public spaces as well as the sense of dislocation experienced by refugees. Hatoum was displaced beginning in 1975, when she found herself stranded in London after the outbreak of the Lebanese civil war. Since then, her work has questioned the meaning and modes of home, migration, and displacement.
Caption
Mona Hatoum British and Palestinian, born 1952. Waiting is Forbidden, 2006. Enameled metal plaque, 11 13/16 x 15 3/4 in. (30 x 40 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Purchase gift of Shelley Fox Aarons and Philip E. Aarons and John and Barbara Vogelstein, 2008.31. © artist or artist's estate (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 2008.31_PS9.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Artist
Title
Waiting is Forbidden
Date
2006
Medium
Enameled metal plaque
Classification
Dimensions
11 13/16 x 15 3/4 in. (30 x 40 cm)
Credit Line
Purchase gift of Shelley Fox Aarons and Philip E. Aarons and John and Barbara Vogelstein
Accession Number
2008.31
Rights
© artist or artist's estate
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Frequent Art Questions
Why in Arabic?
Aha! Great question!Mona Hatoum is the artist, and she likes to point at the idea of the youth in Arab countries, who are caught between action and inaction because of the political climates in their countries. "Waiting Is Forbidden" can be taken to mean no loitering.Is she the photographer? Where are her pieces located?She is a Canadian-based sculptor an most of her pieces are exhibited in Canada. Interestingly the artist hired a traditional sign-maker to create the work in the same format as a traditional Cairo street sign, which often has the name of the street written in two languages.It's part of her series called "Cairo," where she also speaks about the immigrant journey, particularly for children and teenagers who stand between two different cultures.
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