Lawrence Abu Hamdan wins 2018 Abraaj Group Art Prize

CAIRO – 6 October 2017: Jordanian-British artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan has been awarded the 2018 Abraaj Group Art Prize, an award of $100,000 granted by Dubai’s Abraaj Group.



Born in Jordan and currently living in Berlin, Hamdan is a contemporary artist who uses the medium of sound to examine the politics of listening. His audio-visual based body of work has even allowed Hamdan to help in legal matters, having participated in charities such as Defense for Children International, and contributed with legal audio-analysis for the UK asylum Tribunal.

One of his more striking works was a unique art project titled ‘Sayadna’, where Hamdan partnered with Amnesty International and Forensic Architecture to create an ‘acoustic investigation’ of Syria’s Sayndaya prison, known for horrific cases of torture. Hamdan cooperated with survivors, who developed a higher sensitivity to sound having been blindfolded for much of their duration, using their “earwitness” testimony to piece together what went on in there.



Hamdan has won previous awards such as the Rotterdam International Film 2017’s short film award and the 2016 Nam June Paik Award.