Listening For Traces: Sound Art Exhibition in Abu Dhabi Explores Conflict

Listening For Traces: Conflict, Sound & Memory, a major exhibition curated by Dr Cathy Lane, opens at Rizq Art Gallery in Abu Dhabi from 23 February to 20 March 2024. Presented by Rizq Art Initiative (RAi), the show features over a dozen international sound artists from the USA, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India. Works include films, LED video, a sound dome, a sonic sculpture, and text installations. Artists include Abdullah Al Othman, Asma Ghanem, Alexia Webster, Christopher Marianetti, Jananne Al Ani, Nour Sokhon, Open Group, Shirin Neshat, Uzma Falak, Yara Mekawei, Louise K Wilson, Martin John Callanan, Thomas Gardner, and Angus Carlyle. Notable pieces: Neshat's Turbulent (1998), Al Ani's Sounds of War II (2023), Wilson's Woomera/Nurrangar (2007), Gardner's Scored Out (2023), Callanan's Wars During My Lifetime, and Carlyle's Waves Finding the Shore. A programme of events includes a performance by Safeya Alblooshi on 23 February, a talk by Dr Lane at Alserkal Foundation on 26 February, and a lecture by Turner Prize winner Lawrence Abu Hamdan. The exhibition is produced in association with CRiSAP (University of the Arts London) and Zayed University. RAi, founded by Shafeena Yusuf Ali, is an independent cultural institution on Reem Island that opened in 2023.