Using hundreds of matchsticks, the Ali Cherri 'Le Pyromane'
addresses the subject of violence. The installation was created
by the Beirut-born visual artist and designer Ali Cherri who is
known to use video, installation, performance, multimedia and
print. Cherri made this work as a response to those who use the
act of self-immolation as political protest. And, more
specifically the actions of the Tunisian street vendor Mohamed
Bouazizi on December 17, 2011.  Out of desperation, Bouazizi
covered himself with paint thinner and lit a match. This action
sparked the Tunisian Revolution and later uprisings across the
Arab world known as the Arab Spring. A moment that both
horrifies and intrigues Cherri, he began questioning what would
allow for a human to reach such an extreme political statement.
The matchsticks created by Cherri spell out, "I am not a
pyromaniac," stating that the act was not due to the impulse
control disorder that uses fire but instead a much deeper
action.