Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme

MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge

MIT List Visual Arts Center

In a dark room, saturated purple footage of plants is projected onto a corner. In front, freestanding metal panels have smaller rectangles of images and text mounted on them. A purple tinted window glows in the background on the right. Banners containing saturated, inverted images of figures and plants hang from the ceiling.

A dark room with purple walls is occupied by video projections and illuminated artworks on the floor and ceiling, creating an effect like overlapping windows on a computer screen. A purple glow comes from a tinted window on the left side. Freestanding panels are scattered throughout the room, each with colorful abstractions and other images mounted to them. Blue banners with abstracted plant designs hang from the ceiling and a red video projection glows on the far wall.

A dark room with purple walls is occupied by video projections and illuminated artworks on the floor and ceiling, creating an effect like overlapping windows on a computer screen. A purple glow comes from a tinted window on the left side. Freestanding panels are scattered throughout the room, each with colorful abstractions and other images mounted to them. Blue banners with abstracted plant designs hang from the ceiling and a red video projection, showing a person lying on their back, glows on the far wall.

A purple wall extends across the image. On the left, two freestanding panels are collaged with images and text, including digitally rendered faces and saturated images of plants. On the right, introductory exhibition text is illuminated on the wall.

Blue and purple projected footage of thorny plants fills the corner of a room. In the light of the projection, four dried thistle plants are stuck in concrete bricks sitting on the floor. To the left and right of the projected footage, two free standing panels are spotlit, highlighting imagery mounted to them. Another thistle plant peaks out from behind the right panel.

Projected footage of branches and leaves against a sky fills the corner of a room. In the light of the projection, four dried thistle plants are stuck in concrete bricks sitting on the floor. To the left and right of the projected footage, two free standing panels are spotlit, highlighting imagery mounted to them. Another thistle plant peaks out from behind the right panel.

Freestanding metal panels are scattered across a dark gallery, with drawings and saturated abstract images mounted to them. A tinted window on the left emits a bright purple glow. Small banners hanging from the ceiling contain abstracted silhouettes of plants. Three video projections are visible in the background; the central one shows a close view of a thorny green plant.

Freestanding metal panels are scattered across a dark gallery, with drawings and saturated abstract images mounted to them. Interspersed with the panels are dried thistle plants stuck into concrete bricks. Video projections onto uneven panels are visible in the background.

Videos are projected onto uneven surfaces of large panels against three walls. The central projection shows glowing, almost psychedelic inverted footage of a group of figures in a line. The right projection shows a woman dancing, and the left projection shows a person wearing a yellow shirt overlaid with text in English and Arabic, reading “We are tremble / In debt / And in doubt.”

Videos are projected onto uneven surfaces of large panels against three walls. The central projection shows glowing, almost psychedelic inverted footage of a group of figures in a line. The right projection shows a woman (also in unnatural, inverted tones) dancing, and the left projection shows a person wearing a yellow shirt. All three images are overlaid with text in English and Arabic reading, “Unbound.”

A saturated blue and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. The rightmost panel is illuminated pink, while the rest of the projection is tinted deep blue. Onscreen, abstracted video footage of plants and a person’s arm coming into the frame on the right is overlaid with text in Arabic and English that reads “In debt.”

A saturated blue and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels.The rightmost panel is illuminated pink, while the rest of the projection is tinted deep blue. Onscreen, a person’s face with their mouth open is shown in inverted tones.

A saturated cyan and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Onscreen is a close-up footage of leaves and flowers in surreal tones.

A saturated blue and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Onscreen, video footage of a blooming field fills the frame of the video. A darker frame-within-frame is less distinct, with abstracted footage of what might be a figure.

A saturated blue and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Abstracted, high-contrast, video footage of plants fills the frame of the video.

A saturated blue and purple video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Onscreen, high-contrast thistle plants appear sharp against a blurry abstracted blue background.

A deep blue video depicting a person looking out from a mountain onto a body of water is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Overlaid on the video footage, English and Arabic text reads “As though this melody has always been here”.

A blue and green depicting a landscape is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Onscreen, an electrical pole hangs in the upper right corner with wires stretching horizontally across the frame. Mountains fill the background. Left of the projection, a small sliver of purple light peers through a window into the room.

A saturated blue video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Onscreen, an abstracted woman wearing a hijab and glasses has her arms outstretched facing the camera with a landscape of various plants behind her. Left of the video projection, a small sliver of purple light peers through a window into the room.

Video footage of a man wearing a green shirt sits in a dry landscape looking toward the ground surrounded by rocks and vertical planks. The video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. Left of the video projection, a small sliver of purple light peers through a window into the room.

A dark room with purple walls displaying various rectangular panels scattered across the room. Each panel is spotlit showcasing a thistle plant with imagery affixed to the panels. Purple light peers through the right of the frame. Banners with abstract silhouettes of plants hang from the ceiling. In the back corner of the room, saturated purple video footage of plant forms is projected onto the walls.

In the foreground on the right, a saturated red video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. The video depicts a person in movement with text overlaid that reads “the land brings us back to life.” The left side of the image shows more distant artworks scattered throughout the room: freestanding panels with images mounted on them, dried thistle plants, hanging banners. Footage of orange and yellow flowers is projected onto the back corner.

In the foreground on the right, a blue and orange video of moving figures is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. The left side of the image shows more distant artworks scattered throughout the room: freestanding panels with images mounted on them, dried thistle plants, hanging banners. Footage of orange and yellow flowers is projected onto the back corner.

In the foreground on the right, a sickly blue video is projected onto an uneven surface of overlapping rectangular panels. It shows a man in glasses engaging two figures with army harmets. The left side of the image shows more distant artworks scattered throughout the room: freestanding panels with images mounted on them, dried thistle plants, hanging banners. Footage of abstracted plants is projected onto the wall.

In the foreground to the left, a freestanding metal panel with a rusty brown surface has a small square of text mounted on it. In front of the panel, dried thistle plants sprout from the top of a stack of concrete bricks. More panels, thistle, and a purple video projection are visible in the background.

A room is bathed in purple light coming from a tinted window, through which trees and a building are visible. In the foreground, a textured metal panel has a saturated image of figures dancing affixed to it. Four thistle plants appear to sprout from stacks of bricks scattered across the floor at various heights.

A freestanding metal panel with a rusty brown surface has a small square of text mounted on it. In front of the panel, dried thistle plants sprout from the top of a stack of concrete bricks. In the background, a smaller rectangular panel stands with imagery affixed to it. Another smaller stack of bricks is displayed in front of the back panel with a thistle plant growing out of it. A small blue banner with abstracted forms hangs in the top right corner of the frame.

The surface of a gray metal panel fills the frame, with a dried thistle plant that grows out of a brick jutting into the foreground. The shadow of the plant is cast onto the metal panel. Affixed to the panel are two images in the upper left corner, one of a plant, and the other a small drawing of a figure moving their arms. In the background on the left, another panel is distantly visible.

A vertical metal panel is spotlit and bolted to the floor. Affixed to the panel, a large abstract blue photograph is overlaid with a smaller abstracted image, perhaps a landscape. Overlapping the lower edge of the blue image, a small drawing depicting a woman with marks across her torso and a black cactus behind her is affixed to the panel. In front of the panel, a stack of bricks with a thistle growing out of them is displayed. On the purple wall in the background, text in the upper right corner peeks into the frame.

In the foreground, a rectangular metal panel has images affixed to its surface, including a photograph of a figure moving their arm in inverted tones. A small stack of bricks with a thistle growing out of it sits in front of the panel. Footage of yellow flowers is projected onto the back right corner of the room. In the top left corner, a blue banner hangs from the ceiling.

A dark purple room with a rectangular metal panel bolted to the floor. In front of the panel, small stacks of bricks in various heights with thistle plants growing out of them are displayed. Projected purple light is cast on the right where another thistle plant grows out of a brick, creating dramatic shadows.

Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-RahmeOnly sounds that tremble through usMIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge

Exhibition Images

Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-RahmeOnly sounds that tremble through us
MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge