2022 Biennial artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan is joined by art historian Tina Sherwell for a conversation in connection with the film and exhibition 45th Parallel by Abu Hamdan. In this context, they discuss the challenge and opportunity of creating work across borders.
This program is presented in partnership with Mercer Union as part of fORUM, Mercer Union’s ongoing series of free talks, lectures, interviews, screenings and performances. 45th Parallel (2022) is co-commissioned by the Toronto Biennial of Art; Mercer Union, Toronto; Spike Island, Bristol; and Western Front, Vancouver. The film is produced by LONO Studio and made possible with the generous support of Arts Council England, the Canada Council for the Arts, Maureen Paley, and the Ford Foundation.
Virtual
May 5
Bios
Lawrence Abu Hamdan (born in 1985, Amman, Jordan) is a “Private Ear.” His interest in sound and politics originates from his background as a touring musician and facilitator of DIY music. The artist’s audio investigations have been used as evidence at the UK Asylum and Immigration Tribunal and as advocacy for organizations such as Amnesty International. Lawrence has exhibited at the 58th Venice Biennale (2019); the 11th Gwangju Biennale (2016); the 13th and 14th Sharjah Biennial (2017 and 2019); and Tate Modern, London, UK. As part of a temporary collective with nominated artists Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo and Tai Shani, he was awarded the 2019 Turner Prize.
Tina Sherwell is Visiting Professor of Art and Art History at NYU Abu Dhabi. From 2017–2021, she was Head of Contemporary Visual Art at Birzeit University, prior to which she was Director of the International Academy of Art, Palestine (2007–2012, & 2013–2017). She has authored various texts on contemporary Palestinian art and in 2019 curated the major exhibition, Intimate Terrains: Representations of a Disappearing Landscape at The Palestinian Museum, Birzeit.