Lawrence Abu Hamdan

winner of the 2019 Turner Prize, Lawrence Abu Hamdan interviewed several survivors of Syria’s notorious Saydnaya Prison in 2016. The artist became intrigued by the similes his subjects used to describe the sounds in Saydnaya, (2018), a set of 95 objects, from army boots to a car-door contraption, referenced in the legal testimonies of individuals asked to recall specific sounds. This installation was the centerpiece of Abu Hamdan’s traveling exhibition “Earwitness Theatre” (2018–19), which concluded its run at the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane (9/28–12/21), and was also displayed at the Turner Prize exhibition held at Turner Contemporary, Margate (9/28–1/12/20).