Farideh Lashai, Umm Kulthum, Charlie Chaplin at Leila Heller Gallery | Video

The video art presents an odd and gloomy depiction of the Middle East and was sold in $72,000 at the Christie's Dubai auction in October 2011 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. "El Amal" is reputed to have been the first piece of video art sold at Christie's Middle East.

Iran Art: The well-known video art "El Amal," created by Farideh Lashai, a prominent Middle Eastern modernist painter, is on view at the Leila Heller Gallery in Dubai as a part of the "Storyteller" exhibit.

In the video, Lashai blends the enduring song "El Amal" by the renowned Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum with the most widely recognised moment from the Charlie Chaplin film "The Great Dictator," with emphasis in particular on Hitler.

The video art presents an odd and gloomy depiction of the Middle East and was sold in $72,000 at the Christie's Dubai auction in October 2011 at the Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel. "El Amal" is reputed to have been the first piece of video art sold at Christie's Middle East.

Lashai's artwork is produced using the acrylic painting technique on 200 by 200-inch canvases. The $270,000 piece is regarded as the priciest item in the "Storyteller" show.

The event, which is being coordinated by Behrang Samadzadegan, is currently on display on the ground floor of the Leila Heller Gallery on Alserkal Avenue and includes approximately 45 paintings, sculptures, and photos.