Sfeir-Semler Gallery presents a new solo exhibition by artist and audio investigator Lawrence Abu Hamdan at the gallery’s Karantina space in Beirut. Known for his unique blend of activism, art, and research, Abu Hamdan refers to himself as a “Private Ear,” using sound as a powerful medium for political and social inquiry. On opening night, Abu Hamdan held a performance.
His work often appears in courtrooms, media reports, and human rights advocacy, but also in immersive installations, films, and performances. For this latest exhibition, Abu Hamdan explores the theme of “noise” as a conceptual and material thread connecting both recent and new projects. He considers noise not merely as sound but as a marker of power, stating that “power resides with those who define what constitutes “noise.”
The exhibition delves into various geopolitical landscapes where sound plays a crucial role. One installation focuses on Cairo’s altered soundscape following the 2013 military coup, while another highlights unrest in the Syrian Golan Heights over the planned installation of wind turbines near residential areas. To raise awareness about the impact of such noise, Abu Hamdan has developed a video game in collaboration with researchers from his non-profit initiative, Earshot. The game draws on field recordings from both the Golan Heights and wind farms in Gaildorf, Germany. Presented in the style of a live stream commentary, the piece blurs the lines between art, gaming, and activism.
The new 2025 works in the show investigate media disruption, examining electromagnetic interference from everyday digital devices and the deliberate targeting of journalists and recording equipment. One installation assembles distorted, final frames from cameras destroyed during recent conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon, presenting them as haunting testaments to the erasure—and persistence—of media in times of war.
In the gallery’s cinema space, visitors can experience 45th Parallel (2022), a critically acclaimed film shot in the Haskell Free Library and Opera House—an architectural anomaly that straddles the U.S.-Canada border. The work probes the concept of borders, their permeability, and the legal and symbolic power they hold.
Spanning sound, video, and interactive media, this exhibition reflects Abu Hamdan’s continued commitment to using sonic experience as a tool of resistance and reflection, challenging systems of power that often go unheard.
About Lawrence Abu Hamdan
Lawrence Abu Hamdan (b.1985) is a Lebanese-British artist and independent investigator known as a “Private Ear.” His work focuses on the politics of sound and listening and has been used in UK asylum cases, UN Security Council presentations, and by organisations like Amnesty International. He has held academic positions at various institutions, including Cornell Tech and the University of Chicago. His work has been shown at major venues such as MoMA, Tate Modern, and the Venice Biennale. Abu Hamdan’s work is in leading international collections, and he has received numerous awards, including the 2019 Turner Prize (as part of a collective).
Location: Sfeir Semler, Karantina Beirut.
Dates: April 3rd, 2025 – Unknown end date