Created over a decade ago and having gained unexpected resonance amid current regional tensions, Smooth Criminal presents a nuanced reflection on today’s physical and ideological entrapments by subtly transforming a traditional fish trap commonly used in the Arabian Gulf. The trap’s apparent transparency and permeability suggests how individuals become confined within invisible boundaries created by political systems, social expectations, and established ideologies. The sculpture, woven with fine steel wires, evokes the delicate beauty of a piece of jewellery or lace. Upon closer inspection, its design reveals a seemingly endless iteration of a six-pointed star motif, reminiscent of the Star of David, a symbol associated with Zionism today. Although the motif is clearly integrated, it remains almost invisible within the work’s overall structure. This subtlety suggests the normalisation of violence and the paradoxical way in which power creates a trap that imprisons even its setter.
The question remains: Who is this trap set for? Who is truly imprisoned, and who is free? Titled after Michael Jackson’s popular 1988 song Smooth Criminal, Kaabi-Linke’s work draws on the English term used to describe the perpetrator who vanishes in the wake of a crime – leaving behind only confusion and unanswered questions – yet remains perpetually on the run. Despite the illusion of openness, the sculpture emerges as a metaphor used to criticise the invisibility of responsibility in political conflicts and the blurred lines of accountability.
