“The Rubin Museum of Art presents the third exhibition in its Year of Power programming, Clapping with Stones: Art and Acts of Resistance. The exhibition brings together 10 contemporary artists living and working in the United States and internationally whose works poetically employ non-conformity and resistance as tools to question and upend power in society. Using a range of media — including installation, painting, photography, sculpture, video, and textile — the artists confront history, identity, heritage, and ways of understanding the world at a time when truth is censored, borders reconfigured, mobility impeded, and civil liberties challenged. Bringing together myriad voices, the exhibition presents a meditation on the spirit of defiance expressed through art. Clapping with Stones: Art and Acts of Resistance features works by Lida Abdul, Kader Attia, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, Naiza Khan, Kimsooja, Pallavi Paul, Shahpour Pouyan, Ibrahim Quraishi, Nari Ward, and Hank Willis Thomas.” — The Rubin
Clapping with Stones was organized by guest curator Sara Raza.
Shahpour Pouyan (b. 1979, Isfahan, Iran; lives and works in New York); Untitled Dome, detail from My Place Is the Placeless; 2017. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
hahpour Pouyan (b. 1979, Isfahan, Iran; lives and works in New York); Untitled Dome, detail from My Place Is the Placeless; 2017. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Nari Ward (b. 1963, St Andrew, Jamaica; lives and works in New York); installation Breathing Room; 2019. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Ibrahim Quraishi (b. 1973 Nairobi, Kenya; lives and works in Amsterdam and Berlin); detail of The Calling; 2012–2018; installation of 8 exploded violins and coffins; photograph by Ibrahim Quraishi from a live installation at Galeri Lumen Travo Amsterdam; image courtesy of the artist.
Pallavi Paul (b. 1986, New Delhi India; lives and works in New Delhi); Burn the Diaries; 2014. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Left: Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976, Plainfield, New Jersey; lives and works in New York); The March; 2017. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Lida Abdul (b. 1973, Kabul, Afghanistan; lives and works in Kabul and Los Angeles); still of Clapping With Stones; 2005; 16 mm film transferred to DVD; 5 min.; image courtesy of the artist and Giorgio Persano Gallery.
Center: Naiza Khan (b. 1968, Bahawalpur, Pakistan; lives and works in London and Karachi); The Robe; 2008. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Naiza Khan (b. 1968, Bahawalpur, Pakistan; lives and works in London and Karachi); The Robe; 2008. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Left: Nadia Kaabi-Linke (b. 1978, Tunis, Tunisa; lives and works in Berlin); The Altarpiece; 2015. Right: Nari Ward (b. 1963, St Andrew, Jamaica; lives and works in New York); We Shall Overcome; 2015. Photo by Corrado Serra for Arts Summary.
Nadia Kaabi-Linke (b. 1978, Tunis, Tunisa; lives and works in Berlin and Kiev); The Altarpiece; 2015; photograph by Kevin Todora, 2015; image courtesy of the Burger Collection, Hong Kong.
Nadia Kaabi-Linke (b. 1978, Tunis, Tunisa; lives and works in Berlin and Kiev); The Altarpiece; 2015; photograph by Mustafa Aboobacker, 2015; image courtesy of the Burger Collection, Hong Kong.
Title image, top left: Kimsooja (b. 1957, Daegu, South Korea; lives and works in New York and Seoul); Lotus: Zone of Zero (detail); 2017.