Abu Hamdan (b.1985, Amman) lives in Beirut, Lebanon. His work frequently deals with the relationship between listening and politics, borders, human rights, testimony and truth through the production of documentaries, essays, audio-visual installations, video works, graphic design, sculpture, photography, workshops and performance. Abu Hamdan’s interest with sound and its intersection with politics originate from his background in DIY music.
Abu Hamdan's video The All Hearing was selected for the 44th International Film Festival Rotterdam. His solo exhibitions include Kunsthalle St Gallen, Beirut, Cairo, Van AbbeMuseum, Eindhoven, Casco – Office for Art, Design and Theory, Utrecht and The Showroom, London. His works have been exhibited at New Museum Triennial, The Shanghai Biennial, The Whitechapel Gallery London, MACBA Barcelona, Tate Modern, London, M HKA Antwerp, the Beirut Art Center and The Taipei Biennial. In 2014 his works became part of collections at MoMA New York, Van AbbeMuseum, Eindhoven and Barjeel Art Foundation, UAE.
In 2013 Abu Hamdan’s audio documentary The Freedom of Speech Itself, which was commissioned by The Showroom, was submitted as evidence at a UK asylum tribunal where the artist himself was called to testify as an expert witness.
Abu Hamdan is a PhD candidate and associate lecturer at Forensic Architecture, Goldsmiths, University of London.
