Lawrence Abu Hamdan: Walled Unwalled and Other Monologues

This spring, MoMA presents Lawrence Abu Hamdan: Walled Unwalled and Other Monologues, bringing the work of Lawrence Abu Hamdan to The Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Studio. As a practitioner of “forensic listening,” Abu Hamdan examines the capacity of sound—and the physiological act of hearing—to exonerate and incriminate. His video Walled Unwalled (2018) investigates how information transmitted through walls—both by sophisticated surveillance technology and the human senses alone—has been used as evidence in courts of law and instrumentalized as a tool of the state. For this exhibition and program of performances, Walled Unwalled will be adapted for the Kravis Studio; the work, itself a solo performance for camera, will be presented alongside a series of live performances, or “audiovisual essays,” by the artist: After SFX (2018), Air Pressure (2021), and Natq (2019). Lawrence Abu Hamdan: Walled Unwalled and Other Monologues is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Signals: How Video Transformed the World.

The Kravis Studio will host a series of ticketed performances by Abu Hamdan, with three works each being presented in two evening performances and one matinee performance over three weeks during the exhibition:

After SFX (2018)
Saturday, April 8, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 9, 3:00 p.m.*
Monday, April 10, 8:00 p.m.

Following the performance on April 9, the artist will appear in conversation with curator Ana Janevski.

Air Pressure (2021)
Friday, June 2, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 3, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 4, 3:00 p.m.*

Natq (2019)
Friday, June 9, 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, June 10, 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, June 11, 3:00 p.m.*

Capacity for all performances is limited; tickets may be purchased on moma.org beginning one month before each performance date.

*The installation of Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s Walled Unwalled will be closed during regular Museum hours on April 9, June 4, and June 11, except for the 3:00 p.m. performances.

Organized by Ana Janevski, Curator, and Erica Papernik-Shimizu, Associate Curator, with May Makki, Curatorial Assistant, Department of Media and Performance. Performances are produced by Lizzie Gorfaine, Associate Director and Producer, and Kate Scherer, Manager and Producer, with Olivia Rousey, Assistant Performance Coordinator, Performance and Live Programs.

The exhibition is presented as part of The Hyundai Card Performance Series.

Major support is provided by MoMA’s Wallis Annenberg Director’s Fund for Innovation in Contemporary Art.

Generous funding is provided by the Lonti Ebers Endowment for Performance and the Sarah Arison Endowment Fund for Performance.