Lawrence Abu Hamdan's Solo Exhibition at Sfeir-Semler Gallery

Sfeir-Semler Gallery in Beirut's Karantina space presents 'Someone Chewing', a solo exhibition by Lawrence Abu Hamdan. The artist, known as a 'Private Ear', uses noise as a central theme, exploring power dynamics in defining noise. Works examine Cairo's urban noise-scape post-2013 military coup and recent unrest in the Syrian Golan Heights due to planned wind turbines. A video game developed with Earshot uses turbine sound recordings from Gaildorf, Germany, and ambient noise from the Golan Heights. New 2025 works address electromagnetic fields from portable devices and the targeting of cameras and journalists since the Gaza genocide and Israeli invasion of Lebanon. The exhibition also features '45th Parallel' (2022), shot at the Haskell Free Library and Opera House straddling Canada and the US, questioning border permeability. The show includes installation, film, and sound pieces, continuing Abu Hamdan's use of sound to resist oppression.