Anna Boghiguian’s Chess Game is about world power

The exhibition Time of Change maps Egyptian-Canadian artist Anna Boghiguian’s interest in revolutionary upheavals.

Conceived as a world stage, The Chess Game installation (pictured above) is an oversized chess board with cutouts of historical figures from opposing and correlating schools of thought who quarrel for power.

Time of Change resonates powerfully in our Canadian context, as emigration strains to Canada are prompted by warfare, military occupation, and economic instability—consequences of the abuse of power.

The Power Plant

Go to the exhibition link to download a list of figures on the chess board, here.

There is also an audio guide to the chess board at the same link.

Anna Boghiguian is one of Egypt’s foremost artists. She was born in Cairo, received a BFA in fine arts and music from Concordia University in Montreal, and travels and exhibits constantly.

Image credits: Top of Post — Anna Boghiguian, The Chess Game, 2022-23. Encaustic on Khadi paper, wood, acrylic panels, and mirror-coated Plexiglass. Ten chess pieces produced especially for the exhibition at The Power Plant, Toronto. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.

Detail of installation: Anna Boghiguian, The Chess Game, 2022-23. Courtesy the artist. Installation view: Time of Change, The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Toronto, 2023. Photo: Toni Hafkenscheid.