Press

Amsterdam, May 14, 2024 – Buro Stedelijk is pleased to announce the unveiling of Ola Hassanain’s latest solo exhibition, ‘Manifestation #26 Script 1: Whispers (Tell the Waters What the Clay Kept Secret II)‘. An ongoing visual research that grapples extensively with the spatial implications of catastrophe. This compelling showcase takes us into the heart of an intimate ‘site of catastrophe’: Hassanain’s grandmother’s house, situated in the Gezira scheme in Sudan. In this sprawling 4,300-km network of canals and ditches designed for irrigation. 

In this installation, Hassanain stages a parable of water, where whispers consisting of holy phrases echo through a built structure recreated from the Sennar dam (architecture of control). Water flows through the installation in a ritual of blessing the water by reflecting Hassanain’s grandmother’s aspirations and desires for her house, which never came to be.

The whispering dam stands at 2.20 meters high as a relic of modernity, the whispers act as a filter for the water, allowing for the ritual to rid it of implications in uninhabitable. Through her artworks, Hassanain explores her grandmother’s profound political engagement, manifested in the ritual of Ruqya (رقية), where one talks to water and prays over it in an attempt to make it hold blessing and fortune rather than harm. How can these private yet persistent whispers to the water be amplified and imbued with political significance? Gesturing towards a water that bears generosity rather than ruin. 

While the scheme boasts vast agricultural productivity, it also poses ecological challenges threatening the region’s sustainability. Alongside existing artworks, previously showcased during the Open Studios at the Rijksakademie, there are new additions such as ‘A Whispering Dam’. This solo show marks the first time these works are displayed together. The manifestation will run from May 23 until July 18. 

“In this mixed installation, I zoom in on my grandmother’s house as a “site of catastrophe”. The house is located in, and was built on one of the largest agricultural schemes in Africa, the Gezira Scheme. The house was built in the 1930s, shortly after the establishment of dams, canals and other built forms set to irrigate the area. The excess and mismanagement of water supply has gradually destabilized the clay soil. This has caused cracks in walls and foundation, rendering the house uninhabitable.” – Ola Hassanain

Manifestation #26 Script 1: Whispers (Tell the Waters What the Clay Kept Secret II) by Ola Hassanain will be on display at Buro Stedelijk’s Central Space from May 23, 2024, to July 18, 2024. This exhibition is open to the public, welcoming art enthusiasts and visitors on the specified dates.

Download HR images here

Ola Hassanain (b.1985) works between Amsterdam and Khartoum, focusing on developing spatial literacy through the idea of “space as discourse,” an expanded notion of space that encompasses a scavenging mode of analysis. Through artistic research, Ola uses derivatives of the built form for the sites and  environments that she analyzes. She believes anthologizing her analyses, responding to the politics of space—namely, how architecture positions “building” as an ecological “emptying” of territories and as an infrastructure for continuous cycles of “catastrophe.” 

Buro Stedelijk is a hybrid art space that celebrates community and encourages experiment and boundary-pushing art. As a decentralized observatory, it is attentive to community needs and promotes artistic expression. By fostering collaboration between artists, communities, and institutions, Buro Stedelijk aims to inspire new perspectives and active civic participation. A place where curators, artists and other makers have the freedom to create and present new work which will give fresh impetus to Amsterdam.

For more information, visits, or interview requests, please contact Leroy Aznam via press@burostedelijk.nl or +31(0)6 242 832 57.

Opening night, 23 May, 2024

Free entrance with ticket / Gratis toegang met ticket
Entrance: Paulus Potterstraat 13
19:30 – 21:30
Doors open at 19:30

This exhibition is open to the public from 23 May to 18 July, 2024 at Buro Stedelijk’s Central Space.

Open daily through Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam with Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam ticket (Museumplein 10), 10:00 – 18:00

On Thursday evenings free entrance with ticket (Paulus Potterstraat 13), 18:30 – 20:30