The Playful Afterlife of Empire in Mohamed Monaiseers I, Pet Lion

As long as art has told us a story of beauty, its told us one of power. Egyptian artist Mohamed Monaiseer anchors itself in this duality in his series I, the Pet Lion recently presented with Cairo-based Gypsum Gallery at Art Basel Qatar, exploring how colonial history makes its way into seductive yet insidious objects of play. While glittering, regal and whimsical, Monaiseers works dont aim to soften powers edges, but expose how aesthetics of domination disguise themselves in even our most unass...