Jananne Al-Ani who lived in Iraq until just before the Iran-Iraq war makes striking art with moving and still images. A specialty has been aerial archeology. Photos from a height can reveal the imprint of human presence over the ages, in landscapes that superficially look empty and devoid of life. Apparently her interest was triggered by images of the US military in the Iraqi and Kuwait desert, suggesting no-one is there, no-one owns it - an “orientalist view.” It’s easy to think of other landscapes which were taken over under the guise that they were “empty”. She introduces her work in this MOMA video.
