Noor Abed

In her practice, Noor Abed is concerned with the role of aesthetics in the performance of ritual, as well as performance as a method of survival. She examines how ideology is embodied in movement within the context of social choreography. In particular, she focuses on the relationship between movement and resistance, the role of collective rhythmic movement and the potential impact that shared feelings can evoke in creating and sustaining a community.

Her work at the 36th Ljubljana Biennale of Graphic Arts is inspired by traditional Palestinian dances. Her film A Night We Held Between (2024), from which two film stills are presented, was filmed in various locations in Palestine, making the land its protagonist. It includes a scene of a woman dancing alone, holding a wooden stick in her hands. Traditionally, she would be a warrior dancing with a sword, instead of a stick, among a group of men, rather than alone. In the group dance, she would performatively defeat each one of her counterparts, however, in Noor Abed’s film, she remains alone, defiant and undefeated.

Inspired by choreographic notations, drawings indicating movement, she made a series of drawings noting the movement of the stick. The stick is a symbol of resistance, one that is deeply connected to the land from which the piece of wood originated, reflecting the defining characteristic of a colonised society. Drawing on Frantz Fanon’s thoughts on decolonisation processes, the artist asks herself what lies between dance and resistance, whether dance can embody the potential for defiance, and whether it can serve as a call to action.

Co-commissioned with Art Jameel and supported by the Han Nefkens Foundation.