In Memory of Rosalind Al-Aswad

(1942-2003)

Spirit Mother

, Christopher Al-Aswad, 2005

The spirit that dwells in mymother, trickster and artistalike, prods and pokes its wayinto all of our lives. She likesto cause problems, to upsetbalances, to displace realities.The conventional is her foe.Her presence almost makesyou nervous with the sheerabundance of energy dancing onher force-field. At any moment,this abundance of life can riseto an unheard-of pitch, andsuddenly, mysteriously, breakinto a marvelous crescendoof hysterical and contagiouslaughter. Laughing in thecompany of my mother is anexperience of ecstasy, completeunconscious immersionwhirling in the absurdity of life:crackling, squealing, shriekinglaughter. She feels her emotionsfrom the center of her being;total emotion, not inchoatehalf-feeling. Complete pain,complete joy, complete anger.My mother cries in a movietheatre like no Jewish motherhas ever cried in public before.She lives at the maximumthreshold and her life isoverflowing. She lives, not apartfrom the world, but within thetumultuous movement andever-changing flow of it. Shelives without regrets, withouteven the longing of unfulfilleddesires. Anything she wantsto do in this life, she does.

I w ex Thtal

ROSALINDAL-ASWADPORTRAITSOF ANEXAMINEDLIFE

Curated by Lisa Wainwright, Dean of Graduate StudiesThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago

I wish to thank the Al-Aswad family and especially Dr. Basel Al-Aswad for conceiving of the idea for theexhibition. Dr. Al-Aswad’s enthusiasm and generosity in support of this project has been immeasurable.The School of the Art Institute of Chicago thanks Dr. Al-Aswad for his assistance in showcasing ourtalented and respected alumna Rosalind Al-Aswad.