“Inside-Out” and “Making Strange” by the Stranger

Defamiliarization for the stranger is a way of life. Defamiliarization for the artist is a need to grasp his/her/their own reality. However, for an artist born and raised in the politically destabilized Middle East, life itself is not a familiar one. Hence, reflecting reality as it is becomes an act of estrangement. These three angles have shaped Alaa Minawi’s art practice. In this chapter, Minawi reflects on the role of defamiliarization in his work and on how the Soviet Russian theater practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski’s acting method, “inside-out,” has become an inspiration to structure his own working methods.