Abbey Williams' Fugue Makes US Debut at CMCA

Currently, Abbey Williams' five-channel video installation, Fugue, is being showcased at the Center for Maine Contemporary Art (CMCA) in Rockland, Maine, representing its debut in the United States. Originally unveiled in Basel in 2025, the artist has reedited and "remixed" the work for this exhibition, illustrating her iterative artistic process. The nearly eight-minute video features aerial views of Williams engaging with large photobooks of classical architecture, her hands tenderly touching marble statues and columns. The footage transitions to the artist painting on screens, which she eventually breaks with a hammer, producing radiant cracks reminiscent of lightning that she also gently touches. Throughout the piece, Williams weaves in imagery from antiquity, offering a musical reflection on contemporary history. The installation is presented on horizontal monitors placed on freestanding black pedestals.