In the absence of the objects seen

overview

The work of Ayreen Anastas and Rene Gabri engages questions of the human condition amid a world of increasing speed, scale, automation and accumulation by dispossession. Their projects often take many interconnected forms, such as film, performance, publication, (un)workshops and collective situations, reflecting the vital interplay between research, production, reproduction and presentation in their practice.

In the absence of the objects seen (2015) is a multifaceted inquiry confronting present conditions of life on earth and exploring the possibilities and limitations of perception when a complete picture cannot be perceived. The project collapses the distinct temporalities of filmmaking, exhibition and living in favour of an open structure to better encompass the heterogeneous rhythms of work, play, care, research, struggle, displacement and love. Throughout the duration of SB12, the artists’ activity revolves around an apartment, gallery space and courtyard in Bait Obaid Al Shamsi to create a common place of meetings, conversations, food, (un)learning and (un)making. People may pass through, take part in conversations and potentially participate in (un)workshops organised by the artists and
their collaborators. The project will also involve a number of research trips before and during the exhibition and public events/screenings, followed by additional activities during the
closing days.


This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 12