NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery (Feb 24 – June 9, 2018) Permanent Temporariness: Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti

The NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Art Gallery opened its spring show, 'Permanent Temporariness', to the public. This exhibition is the first institutional retrospective of the renowned, award-winning artists and architects, Sandi Hilal and Alessandro Petti. Featuring works across a variety of mediums, the exhibition explores how human experiences and identities are shaped in the modern flux of 'permanence' or 'impermanence.'

'Permanent Temporariness' is guest-curated by NYUAD faculty Salwa Mikdadi, who is among the foremost historians of modern art from the Arab world. It is co-curated by Bana Kattan, NYUAD Art Gallery Curator, who recently co-curated the exhibition Invisible Threads: Technology and its Discontents (NYUAD) and But We Cannot See Them: Tracing a UAE Art Community 1988-2008 (NYUAD).

The exhibition features seven installations, three of which are beyond the gallery walls. It reactivates five of the artists’ signature installations to date, including The Concrete Tent, Common Assembly, Ramallah Syndrome, The Book of Exile and The Tree School. Two of the artworks were developed specifically for this show, from the artists’ current research projects. Living Room is a performance piece arising out of Hilal’s work with a Syrian refugee couple who became active hosts in their refugee camp living room in Boden, Sweden. In her hosting performance, Hilal activates our awareness of what they call 'the right to host.' Refugee Heritage is a series of lightbox-mounted photographs taken by UNESCO photographer Luca Capuano at one of the world’s oldest refugee camps, Dheisheh camp in Bethlehem. Over the last two years, Hilal and Petti led a series of discussions in both refugee camps and elsewhere, on the implications of inscribing refugee history and heritage on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Permanent Temporarines, NYUAD, Common Assembly / Courtesy of the artists and NYUAD

Permanent Temporarines, NYUAD, Ramallah Syndrome / Courtesy of the artists and NYUAD

Permanent Temporarines, NYUAD, Refugee Heritage / Courtesy of the artists and NYUAD

Permanent Temporarines, NYUAD, Refugee Heritage, Common Assembly / Courtesy of the artists and NYUAD

Permanent Temporarines, NYUAD, Tree School / Courtesy of the artists and NYUAD

Co-curator and NYU Abu Dhabi faculty Salwa Mikdadi said: “In 'Permanent Temporariness', Hilal and Petti present conceptual speculations that examine the state of impermanence and ‘refugeeness’ beyond victimhood and beyond charitable gestures. They offer the audience new ways of engaging with this critical and timely topic. I am delighted to be working with them again, having presented their work at the Venice Biennial almost a decade ago.”

Bana Kattan, Curator at NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery commented: “Permanent Temporariness embodies our vision at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, which is to organise exhibitions that connect with important topics, globally. Also, this is our first exhibition that sees performances and artworks installed beyond the Gallery walls, with the NYU Abu Dhabi campus providing a unique backdrop.”

The exhibition 'Permanent Temporarines' runs until June 9, 2018.