Lawrence Abu Hamdan was born in 1985 in Amman, Jordan. He currently lives and works in Beirut, Lebanon.
Lawrence Abu Hamdan is an artist and “private ear” whose projects have taken the form of audiovisual installations, performances, graphic works, photography, Islamic sermons, cassette tape compositions, potato chip packets, essays, and lectures. Abu Hamdan’s interest with sound and its intersection with politics originate from his background in DIY music.
In 2013 Abu Hamdan’s audio documentary The Freedom of Speech Itself was submitted as evidence at the UK asylum tribunal where the artist himself was called to testify as an expert witness. He continues to make sonic analyses for legal investigations and advocacy – most recently his work was prominently part the No More Forgo en Lives campaign for Defence for Children International. The artist’s forensic audio investigations are conducted as part of his research for Forensic Architecture at Goldsmiths College London.
Selected solo exhibitions include: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, a solo exhibition, Witte de With, Rotterdam, The Netherlands (2019); Walled Unwalled. Tate Modern, South Tanks. London, UK (2018); Hammer Projects: Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Hammer Museum, LA (2018); Earshot at Portikus, Frankfurt, Taqiyya at Kunsthalle St Gallen (2015); Tape Echo at Beirut in Cairo and Van AbbeMuseum, Eindhoven (2013); The Freedom Of Speech Itself at Showroom, London (2012), The Whole Truth at Casco, Utrecht (2012).
Additionally his works have been exhibited and performed at institutions and international events such as Centre Pompidou, Paris, France (2017); Contour Biennale, Mechelen, Belgium (2017); MACBA, Barcelona, Spain (2017); Moderna Museet, Stockolm, Sweden (2017); Gwangju Biennale, Korea (2016); 9th Liverpool Biennial, UK (2016); The Whitechapel Gallery, London, UK (2016); Beirut Art Center (2015); The Shanghai Biennial (2014) and Tate Modern, London, UK (2013), among others.
Lawrence Abu Hamdan has won the 2017 Abraaj Art Prize and the 2016 Nam June Paik Awards. His presentation during Art Basel’s 2018 Statements won him the 20th Baloise Art Prize.