Mona Hatoum (b. 1952)

Entrails Carpet (1995), a rubberized version of a Middle Eastern rug, would never be mistaken for one that is used for prayer, since its undulating composition and pearlescent surface refer specifically to the shape and consistency of human intestines. Although on one level Hatoum intends to remind us of the unique human entity who might deploy a more conventional rug as part of a ritual of worship, she also tempts us to imagine that the barrier separating us from the work's human subject is not one of religion or ethnicity, but rather of simple biological difference. In the end, she succeeds in converting the pseudo-anthropological category of "other"--which is often wielded by those who fear the emancipation of the-into an unsubstantiated fiction supported mostly by prejudice and fear on the part of those who have long since taken freedom for granted.