This double exhibition brings together the artistic approaches of Majd Abdel Hamid (*1988 in Damascus/SY, lives and works in Paris/FR and Beirut/LB) and Sofía Salazar Rosales (*1999 in Quito/EC, lives and works in Amsterdam/NL). Both artists share a poetic focus on themes of identity, time, fragility, and materiality. Additionally, both Salazar Rosales and Hamid are developing new works for their presentation at Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, each finding their own references to resonate with in the local context.
Majd Abdel Hamid works with textiles and embroidery. His objects are distinguished by their minimalism and precision, creating small-scale worlds of philosophical depth. The Palestinian artist deliberately chooses to work slowly. With impressive patience, he crafts detailed embroideries and
cross-stitch works that embody a decelerated, profound reflection and a resistance to a fast-paced world. Hamid is preparing a body of new work for Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, which will be displayed in the first room of the exhibition space. Against the backdrop of the region’s industrial textile history, the artist explores what he calls a «de-automatisation of fabrics». His meditative miniatures reflect fragile roots in politically charged environments.
Sofía Salazar Rosales will transform the middle and third rooms of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen with a show titled «Imagínate vivir en Suiza y perderte esto» (span. Imagine living in Switzerland and missing out on this). The title references a popular Latin American meme that humourously contrasts Switzerland – often seen as a very orderly country – with chaotic events happening in everyday life in Latin America. While the Ecuadorian artist works with a diverse range of materials – including glass beads, paraffin, epoxy, bronze powder, polyester resin, fiberglass, vinyl glue, plant seeds, construction paper, copper, concrete, pigments, oak wood, iron filings, plaster, cotton wool, gauze, and glass aggregate, to name just a few – she foregrounds crafts as a form of aesthetic resistance. Her sculptures and installations are charged with political and sociological meaning, questioning notions of productivity and value. «Imagínate vivir en Suiza y perderte esto» marks the first exhibition of Salazar Rosales‘ material poetics in a Swiss institution.
Press release from Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen
Image: Majd Abdel Hamid. Resonances motifs. 2024–25. Photography by E. Sommer, Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen. Image courtesy of the artist and 16 Avril, Paris
