Lawrie Shabibi is pleased to present Symphony a solo exhibition by internationally acclaimed artist Adel Abidin. Curated by Basak Senova, the exhibition opens as part of Dubai's 2013 Art Week and coincides with the artist's solo exhibition at Maraya Art Centre, a non-profit space in Sharjah dedicated to contemporary art. The exhibition also includes an artwork commissioned by United Arab Emirates based Barjeel Art Foundation.

In March, 2012, at least 90 Iraqi students with 'emo' appearances were stoned to death by religious extremists in Baghdad. Abidin takes this single event and transforms it into an imaginative journey that examines death, the soul's quest for liberation and the tragic price paid in the name of freedom. Symphony is an homage to these young people. The exhibition expands and develops upon his earlier two correlated works - a video and sculpture-based installation (which lends its name to the title of the exhibition) first exhibited at Arter, Istanbul in October 2012. These works process the violent effects of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice that exist in many guises all over the world. The sculpture-based installation features 90 small white doors in the walls, evoking a morgue; some of them closed, while some open. When the viewer pulls open the doors, small white statues of these young people, resting in peace, come into view on the sliding beds. The video installation portrays the aftermath of the massacre of these young people, the very same statues from the installation depicting the stiff corpses in an evocative painterly scene. A thread connects each of the statues' mouths to the leg of a white dove. The flock of doves flaps their wings in vain, attempting to escape, but are anchored by the weight of death. The fluttering wings form a white cloud in the sky, registering the only movement in the work. The stillness of death is juxtaposed with the frantically flapping wings. The whistling cries and rustling wings of the doves create a soothing yet terrifying white noise.

Abidin will articulate these two works by adding a large-scale sculptural installation composed of light, sound and shadow at Lawrie Shabibi along with an outdoor video work, installed on the exterior wall of the gallery.

Image: © Adel Abidin, Lawrie Shabibi Gallery