Breathing, Improvising & Listenening
Tarek Atoui
For years, the artist and electroacoustic composer Tarek Atoui has relentlessly explored the potential of sound as a relational tool. His large-scale collaborative performances, for which he assembles custom-built instruments and computers, extend the act of listening to a range of senses beyond the aural. An expansive solo exhibition at S.M.A.K in Ghent showcases some of Atoui’s most important projects alongside new works.
The day after the opening of Tarek Atoui’s exhibition at S.M.A.K., I find him still actively engaged with the mediators, providing intricate demonstrations and instructions for each artwork. The first floor of the museum is filled with disassembled musical instruments, turntables, pipes, beams, marbles, wooden boxes, glass bowls and a plethora of cables. I’ve previously experienced Atoui’s work at Tate Modern (2016), the Venice Biennale (2019) and Sharjah Art Foundation (2020), but this ex (…)
