John Hansard Gallery presents a new exhibition by Bani Abidi.
Receiving its UK premiere, The Song is a new film work by artist Abidi, whose practice reflects on the problems of nationalism and borders and how such issues affect everyday life and individual experience. The film draws on Abidi’s interest in sound and migration and on what it means to be displaced.
The Song follows the fictional story of an elderly man who has recently arrived in a new and unfamiliar European city. He confronts the isolation of his new apartment by creating his own soundscapes to recreate what is familiar and reassuring. The film poignantly highlights the realities of migration, homesickness, yearning and loss.
In addition, John Hansard Gallery will also be showing Abidi’s sound piece Memorial to Lost Words (2016). This installation pays homage to the Indian soldiers who served in the British Army in World War I, but whose stories were forgotten.
The Song is commissioned by Film and Video Umbrella, Contemporary Art Society, John Hansard Gallery and Salzburger Kunstverein. Supported by Arts Council England. Presented by Contemporary Art Society to Gallery Oldham.