Hamra Abbas at the Misk Art Institute : Group Exhibition

15 March - 15 June 2023

Lawrie Shabibi is pleased to announce that Hamra Abbas is taking part in the ‘Brand New Ancients’ group exhibition on view at Misk Art Institute in Riyadh, KSA.

The poet Kae Tempest addresses our relationship to history in the poem “Brand New Ancients.” Taking inspiration from the poem and its title, the exhibition expands on the connections between our present, our ancestors, and our cultural history. Rather than being static and archaic, Brand New Ancients considers how traditions continue to evolve and inform our contemporary lives.

The exhibition proposes the notion that without innovation traditions die, and without tradition there is nothing to innovate.

Bringing together works by seventeen artists, Brand New Ancients highlights the role of contemporary art in innovating and expanding our understanding of today’s world. By tapping into a vast history of culture and tradition, the artists build upon or pay homage to stories, objects, artistic approaches, and gestures that have shaped their view of the world. A few themes that emerge include the use of traditional material culture in contemporary art practice, the significance of language and the written word, and traditional methods and ideas used as a way to imagine futures.

The works of art in Brand New Ancients reveal a multitude of ways for reconnecting with traditions, and how this can be an innovative and valuable tool in navigating the challenges of today’s ever-changing world.