Follow the Leader

Follow the Leader (2020, 35mm transfer, TRT 02:05) is made from hand-painted and handwritten registration marks made on film leader – the matter preceding and following the part of a film usually viewed by audiences – that indicated where sound and picture should be synced in editing, and when projectionists should switch reels when projecting. Here the leader has been separated from the film reels it originally preceded, all sourced from the Afghan Films archive during the initial stages of digitization, and remains as both a ready-made abstract animation, and a material record of the individual workers who contributed to the making and preservation of these films. Music written and performed by Qasim Naqvi, published by Erased Tapes Ltd.

The Leader print series (2020, archival inkjets on fiber rag, each 20 in. x 27 in.) takes specific stills from the film and amplifies their painterly qualities.

a black punched-out circle on top of a bright green X on a dark brown backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a black circle on top of a neon green X on a brown backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a black circle on top of radiating pale blue lines, over a dark red backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a white punched-out circle on top of a dark green X on a light green backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a white circle with four dark blue lines radiating out from it to the corners, over a turquoise backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
two burgundy marks on a turquoise backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
top three quarters of the image covered in light brown, bottom quarter patchy grey-blue, separated by a dark brown linefrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a jagged white line across the bottom third of a dark blue groundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
A bright blue mark resembling a lower case H on a patchy white backgroundfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
a wash of pale orange and pink resembling a sunsetfrom the Leader print series (2020, archival inkjet on fiber rag, 20 x 27 in)
Follow the Leader film and Leader print series installed at the Schneider Museum, 2022
Exhibition view: a film and prints from Mariam Ghani's Follow the Leader series, installed at the Schneider Museum in 2022Follow the Leader film and Leader print series installed at the Schneider Museum, 2022