Video Art Programme:  
Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani “Identity’s Rule of Three” 2016

Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani’s Identity’s Rule of Three is the first animated film by the artist duo. It is a film in three acts that deals with group identities in different social settings and milieus. The title refers to a common mathematical procedure used to solve equations.

Using stop-motion animation with artistically designed figures made of clay, wood, stone, beads and wire, Fischer & el Sani develop three scenarios that take place in an art gallery, on an African safari and in the newly rebuilt Berlin Palace. The figures communicate with each other in a clear, direct language that concisely reveals the structures of different social situations. Interpersonal relationships are revealed to stimulate new debates about identity and authenticity.

Nina Fischer (*1965 in Emden) and Maroan el Sani (*1966 in Duisburg) have been working together since 1993 in film and photography projects that focus primarily on urban spaces and collective memory. As a duo, they have participated in numerous international exhibitions, including Manifesta 13, Marseille 2020, Videonale, Bonn 2019, Media City Seoul Biennale 2014, 2012, Istanbul Biennale 2007, Liverpool Biennale 1999, and the Berlin Biennale 1998. Fischer and el Sani live and work in Berlin.