Magreb-Punic 1995

Curator: I'm struck immediately by the feeling of ancient echoes radiating from this piece. It's like holding a fragment of a forgotten monument. Editor: You've hit upon something there. What you're seeing is Douglas Abdell’s "Magreb-Punic" from 1995. Abdell frequently explored themes of identity and cultural heritage through geometric forms and script. We see it realized through a combination of carving and metalwork to achieve this powerful relief. Curator: Metal, stone, script, and form all brought together! It definitely brings forth the themes you’re suggesting, as its abstract symbolism hints at deeply rooted cultural narratives without explicitly stating them. I wonder if I were a casual museum-goer if it would stir feelings of displacement within me. Editor: That's an insightful observation. Abdell himself had a complex relationship with belonging, having been born in Beirut and later living in the United States. This sculpture definitely embodies the historical sweep of cultural interaction, from Punic influences in North Africa to contemporary questions about heritage and displacement. Think about it - he uses abstraction as a way of approaching the concrete realities of identity and displacement. Curator: Abstraction serving the real, serving the personal. It reminds me how even the most seemingly impenetrable forms of art can speak to something profoundly human and shared. Editor: And this sculpture invites us to think about what is included and excluded from historical narratives. Who gets to write history? Whose voices are preserved in the monumental forms we inherit? Abdell really uses it all – his unique background and interest in abstract geometric form to offer social commentary and political statements through stone and metal. Curator: A powerful way to approach complex political and cultural subject matter. The conversation it creates transcends history as a collection of hard, cold, dated facts. It encourages feelings, even spiritual connections. Editor: Agreed. Perhaps Abdell hopes we'll become co-creators of its meaning. He wants you, the viewer, to actively fill the gaps in the fragmented narrative he has offered us, in this beautiful carving, to make the cultural narrative your own.