I just read the review on artist Abdelali Dahrouch's Project Series 19 Installation in the "Arts and Features Section" of the Pomona College paper by Henry Bley-Vroman. I want to tell Bley-Vroman that he does very important work reviewing various shows as a staff writer; however, in the future it would be professional if he made a practice of talking with the artist, curator, or, at the very least, reviewing the accompanying announcement/press materials before writing a published review. Any of these would situate Dahrouch's work in significant ways that Bley-Vroman overlooks and misrepresents in his recent review.

His impressions, while interesting, are not at all what Dahrouch was engaging in "Desert Sin, Revisited," and most of Bley-Vroman's descriptions of the installation are incorrect and uninformed (i.e. projected onto the floor piece is blowing sand, not "blue static," and the sound piece is composed of desert winds commingled with George W. Bush's speeches, not "screaming"--both of these are clearly explained and contextualized in the introductory label at the entrance of the gallery space, as well as in the exhibition catalogue).

I wrote the article in the accompanying catalogue that you can find at www.pomona.edu/museum. Go to "Project

Series" under "Past" and bring up Dahrouch's home page. It is very important that as cultural critics we are informed when we write our reviews, and of course it is only respectful to the press with which we are affiliated, the public to which we are accountable, and the subject matter/artist to whom we are responsible.

Best of luck with your future projects.

Sincerely yours,

Laura J. Kuo
Assistant Professor
Women's Studies and Art History
Pomona College