(MENAFN- Jordan Times) AMMAN — 'My work is like that of a 'private ear', I make audio-investigations that tackle issues around human rights and advocacy,' said Lawrence Abu Hamdan, who was recently announced as the winner of the 2018 Abraaj Group Art Prize.
The 32-year-old artist was selected among candidates from 65 countries to realise a 'dream project' through a grant of $100,000 provided by the Abraaj Group.
'The prize will allow me to upscale the work I conceive using materials and technologies previously unavailable to me,' he told The Jordan Times in an e-mail interview, adding 'I can now deepen my exploration of the most contemporary forms of visualisation.'
He continued: 'This will give me the opportunity not only to advance my current work with this project but hopefully to also create new tools to see and hear our world.'
The prize, which marks its 10th anniversary this year, seeks to help propel artists from the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia to the global art scene by 'empowering potential and giving often under-represented contemporary artists the resources to further develop their talent', a statement by the Abraaj Group said.
'In some modest way, I think art can change society. It needs to be mediated in a specific way to be properly received, but it definitely has the potential to make things evolve globally,' Abu Hamdan stated.
The young artist tackles current issues reflected in investigations through an artistic orchestration of audiovisual installations, performances and graphic works, among other forms.
His interest with sound and its intersection with politics comes from his experience as an audio analyst for legal investigations at the UK asylum Tribunal.
'My work stems from very varied sources: I practice at the intersection of science, advocacy, art, and technologies from the worlds of design, art and science,' the artist said, adding that he is also an avid reader of legal cases in which sound is used as evidence.
However, such an unconventional approach to art is not easily received by all and Abu Hamdan has had to overcome many struggles in disseminating his artwork.
His innovative approach has also jostled the artistic micro-cosmos he evolves in. 'There is a failure by many of my peers to see outside of the world which they occupy; a failure to engage with new modes by which new kinds of propositions can be made,' he stated.
Drawing on the idea that traditional art forms are 'more and more losing their relevance', the artist started developing commissions that reflect on a series of ear witness interviews and an acoustic investigation into the prisons of Saidnaya, 25km north of Damascus in Syria.
The young man previously won several awards for his creations including the short film award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival 2017 and the 2016 Nam June Paik Award for his exhibition 'Earshot'.
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