Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself
Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Haus der Kunst der Welt, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York, New Museum of Contemporary Art, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
5/4/2016

Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself

In Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself, Abu Hamdan seeks to explore the ways in which our right to silence can be preserved in today’s all-hearing and all-speaking society. In his reappraisal of silence and its politics, the artist looks to the linguistics of Taqiyya, an old piece of Islamic jurisprudence practiced only by esoteric minorities that allows a believing individual to deny their faith or commit otherwise illegal acts if they are at risk of persecution or in a condition of statelessness.

By looking into stories of alleged mass conversions of the Druze minority in northern Syria, Abu Hamdan indicates how such minor speech acts can help us reappraise the precision of speaking, the many ways of remaining silent, and the inherently unfaithful nature of the voice. The work is realized as a two-channel video installation (also sometimes as a live performance) with a teleprompter, the speech apparatus from which the political lie often originates. Formally, as a video playback device, it symbolizes both duplicity and transparency.

The installation of Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself (2015) was commissioned by Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, Switzerland (2015).

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Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen

Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself: Lawrence Abu Hamdan on Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself

Lawrence Abu Hamdan’s talk, titled “Contra Diction: Speech Against Itself,” will address the ways in which our right to silence can be preserved in what the artist calls “today’s All-Hearing and All-Speaking society.” In his reappraisal of silence and its politics, Abu Hamdan will look into the linguistics of Taqiyya, an old form of Islamic jurisprudence practiced only by esoteric minorities that allows a believing individual to deny his faith or commit otherwise illegal acts when at risk of persecution or in a condition of statelessness. By looking into stories of alleged mass conversions of the Druze minority in northern Syria, Abu Hamdan indicates how such minor speech acts can help us re-appraise the precision of speaking, the multiple ways of remaining silent, and the inherently unfaithful nature of one’s voice.

(from newmuseum.org)

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