Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme's 'Prisoners of Love' at Nottingham Contemporary explores culture as resistance

Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme's exhibition 'Prisoners of Love: Until the Sun of Freedom' at Nottingham Contemporary presents a multimedia installation addressing political violence through personal narratives. The Palestinian artist duo created the work with urgency amid ongoing conflict in Gaza, developing it over two years with director Salma Tuqan. Split between two rooms, the installation features monolithic metal sculptures displaying drawings, photographs, poems, and emails, including personal correspondence from Tawfik Abou-Rahme about his father's passing. An adjoining room presents a three-screen film featuring testimonies from former political prisoners discussing how culture sustained them during incarceration. One prisoner recalls singing revolutionary songs between cells, while another describes drawing interrogators' faces from memory after release. The exhibition intentionally avoids direct visual representation of violence, instead focusing on culture's transformative potential through small acts of resistance. Recurring motifs connect the spaces, including crumbling soil, tunneling imagery, and references to removing concrete from traditional architecture. The installation runs until 11 January, offering what the artists describe as intimate moments of respite rather than direct political intervention.