The Whitechapel Gallery hosts Dreams Have No Titles by Zineb Sedira. The exhibition, conceived originally for the French Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale, transforms gallery spaces into captivating film sets.
Dreams Have No Titles allows viewers to participate in a story that is still developing and in which the lines separating performer and audience as well as fiction and reality are dissolved. Sedira provides an interactive venue that embraces the transforming power of art to address both individual and community experiences through a joyful blend of dance, music, installation, and film.
Sedira finds inspiration in aspects of her personal life as well as movies from the 1960s and 1970s. Her close personal connection to the history of activist cinema, especially the films made in France, Italy, and Algeria following Algeria’s independence in 1962, is reflected in the project. During this period, filmmakers pioneered collaborative practices and used the medium to advocate for social change and express solidarity with liberation movements.
Visitors are immediately immersed in a bar setting resembling a film set. Mirroring scenes from Ettore Scola’s 1983 film “Le Bal,” the gallery transforms into a dance hall, transporting viewers to various points in the 20th century. The detailed re-enactments, set against a clock frozen at a quarter to 12, create an uncanny experience.
The exhibition features sets inspired by scenes from iconic films of the era, such as Gillo Pontecorvo’s “The Battle of Algiers” (1966) and Luchino Visconti’s “L’Etranger” (1967). These sets provide a contextual backdrop for Sedira to weave her own narratives, exploring themes of France, Algeria, decolonization, displacement, solidarity, freedom, and hope.
“F for Fake (2022),” is particularly captivating, prompting a sense of disorientation and curiosity upon initial viewing. Sedira skillfully blurs the boundaries between reality and fiction, past and present, using mise-en-scène elements and everyday objects. The installation takes viewers through a journey, revealing a coffin, a single bed, the artist’s living room, and a cinema in the final room.
The centerpiece of the exhibition is the titular film, “Dreams Have No Titles.” Described by Sedira as a ‘love letter to militant cinema,’ the film offers insight into her belief in cinema’s ability to amplify emancipatory dreams, while acknowledging that, for many, these dreams remain unfulfilled.
Sedira explores the human impact of geography, initially focusing on her family’s experiences and later delving into historical narratives through various archives. Her multifaceted identity is showcased throughout the exhibition, as she moves between roles of artist, filmmaker, director, singer, dancer, and more. The complexity of her life is depicted through various versions of herself, emphasizing her Algerian, French, Arab, Muslim, and Berber heritage.
