Listening for Traces: Conflict, Sound & Memory

The brand new Rizq Art Initiative in Abu Dhabi continues to impress. Its second exhibition is an experimental examination of the enduring impact of conflict on people, places, language, and relationships through the medium of sound; it’s curated by Cathy Lane, Professor of Sound Arts at University of the Arts London, and includes works from some of the world’s most notable sound artists (among them Cathy Lane herself).

“Their diverse work reflects the cyclical nature of conflict, the wounds of history and the potent feedback loop that continues to exert influence on today’s world”, says the gallery; this should be a really interesting and potentially eye- (ear?-) opening show.

The artists:

Abdullah Al Othman (KSA)
Asma Ghanem (Palestine)
Alexia Webster (South Africa)
Cathy Lane (UK)
Christopher Marianetti (USA)
Angus Carlyle (UK)
Jananne Al Ani (UK / Iraq)
Louise K Wilson (UK)
Martin John Callanan (UK)
Nour Sokhon (Lebanon)
Open Group (Ukraine)
Shirin Neshat (Iran)
Thomas Gardner (UK)
Uzma Falak (India)
Yara Mekawei (Egypt)
Hasan Hujairi (Bahrain)
Lawrence Abu Hamdan (Jordan)
Meena Vari (India)
Safeya Alblooshi (UAE)
Shafeena Yusuff Ali (India)
Syma Tariq (UK)

During the four-week exhibition a series of programmes and curatorial walkthroughs dive deeper into the relationship between conflict and its portrayal in sound art.

To 20 March.

Above: Asma Ghanem / Christopher Marianetti / Alexia Webster: still from ‘Wall Piano’ (2018)