Adrian Abela: FOREWOR(L)D

Make Room is pleased to present FOREWOR(L)D, a solo exhibition with Maltese artist Adrian Abela. The exhibition opens Saturday, December 15th, 2018 with an opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. As a summation of his month-long residency at Make Room, the exhibition takes the form of a call, an act of channeling forth energies embedded and dormant. Whether it be communicating to these powers or beckoning forth those within our own embodied layers, FOREWOR(L)Dengages the silent and slow exchange between these realms, which we may encounter as physical, but exceed our dimensional sensations.

Making present these infinite, microcosmic collapses, as shown by classical symbolism within internet image textures, archaeological interpretations of sidewalks, and other interworlding traces, Abela rematerializes the carved-out gravitational trails associated with those 'belonging' to the Earth while reserving spaces for the unknown and unacknowledged creases. Composed of sculptures, drawings, and imprints, this exhibition offers a speculation into how we can acknowledge the potentialities of the unraveling fabric of history as it drapes, folds, and manipulates our own present movement. How do we designate space when the spaces have already been dug hollow? 

Adrian Abela (b.1989) studied architecture in Malta and Milan. He obtained his MFA in sculpture from UCLA in 2018. In 2017, he was selected to represent the Malta National Pavillion at the Venice Biennale. His projects stem from his interest in particular materials or narratives and extends into an attempt at creating parallel experiences of the human condition, sustaining it with past and future realities. The conception and execution of his projects often involve other individuals; he uses architecture-derived approaches to create informed work and establishes relationships that challenge people’s perspectives on the subject. Along with several solo exhibitions in Malta, he has shown in Europe, Asia, and the U.S. He currently lives and works in Los Angeles.