More than a decade ago, Palestinian artists Basel Abbas (b. 1983) and Ruanne Abou-Rahme (b.1983) began collecting online videos of people dancing and singing. Those in the frame were often in countries marred by conflict like Iraq, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. They began to understand that what connected each person was a need to resist their own erasure. In the context of Israel’s current occupation of Palestinian territory and the ongoing war on the capital city of Gaza, the defiance in the videos has resonance.
These recordings, and their shared resistance, now form the bedrock of The song is the call and the land is calling. Abbad and Abou-Rahme’s collection of online clips is accompanied by choreographed pieces. The performances were captured in areas that are under threat of being taken by Israeli settlers who seek to remove Palestinians from their homelands.
The gallery is bathed in purple light, surrounding visitors as they enter the space and drawing them into the installation. The hues of slowly shifting pinks and mauves are taken from the colour of thistles. The plant grows in areas of Palestine where the soil has been disturbed and, when they decompose, they provide the earth with nutrients, allowing vegetation that existed, but was eradicated by conflict, to return.
A connection with the land, and a pervading sense of Palestinian identity, runs throughout this intensely personal exhibition. Each piece is a reminder of a community demanding the right to exist. In light of ongoing conflict, The song is the call and the land is calling is an important exhibition. It offers a reflective space within which to consider, on a deeper level, the testimonies of people whose voices are being silenced. It is a strong example of art’s power to reach beyond borders.
Words: Emma Jacob
Copenhagen Contemporary, Until 29 December
Image Credits: Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme, Where the soil has been disturbed (2023), Low cloud hum (2023), The song is the call, and the land is calling (2024). Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary (2024). Photo: David Stjernholm.
