The new art season at Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai, is starting with a thought provoking exhibition by Hamra Abbas, titled “Bodies.” The daring solo exhibition by Hamra is her second at the gallery, where her work will show how she interchanges smoothly between different materials.
A recent move back to her hometown – Lahore, Pakistan – has been the influence for her exhibition, the collection narrates her unique experience and interpretation of the middle-class religious practices in homes and public spaces in the city.
One of her most interesting works is a photograph titled, “Sweet and Savory.” The image depicts two small piles of rice, one sweet and one savory that are placed on a barrier at the entrance of Data Darbar, a shrine in Lahore. The beauty of this gesture is that normally food is distributed for traveling visitors, but the rice on the barrier is clearly for birds. With the current political and social unease befalling the area, it is heartwarming to see people continue to care for animals during such stressful times.
The exhibition opened to the public on September 19th and will run until November 10th at Lawrie Shabibi in Al-Quoz, Dubai.
