EXIT is a site-specific artwork created by Adel Abdessemed, a major contemporary artist born in 1971 in Constantine, Algeria, and currently based in New York. Known for working across a wide range of media—including drawing, video, photography, performance, and installation—Abdessemed transforms everyday materials and images into powerful, often provocative works that challenge viewers’ perceptions. His art addresses personal, social, and political themes, blending radical gestures with everyday objects to create a visual language that is at once economical, complex, and sometimes shocking.
The concept behind EXIT centre’s on language and symbolism, focusing specifically on the simple but ubiquitous illuminated exit sign. Abdessemed alters this familiar sign by changing a single letter: “exit” becomes “exil,” the French word for “exile.” This subtle shift transforms the sign’s meaning, creating an evocative tension between the familiar and the unexpected. The modified sign, placed at the entrance of the exhibition venue, acts as a symbolic threshold—inviting viewers to consider notions of departure, displacement, and the experience of crossing borders.
This work carries deep personal resonance for the artist. Abdessemed was forced to leave Algeria in 1994 due to political circumstances, making the concept of exile central to his life and artistic practice. The alteration from “exit” to “exil” poignantly encapsulates both the physical act of leaving and the emotional and political weight of displacement. The piece also plays with the universal symbolism of exit signs as markers of transition, escape, and movement, connecting the individual experience of exile to broader themes of migration and border-crossing. Through EXIT, Abdessemed invites audiences to engage with complex ideas surrounding language, identity, migration, and the politics of borders, using a deceptively simple intervention to challenge and expand the meanings embedded in everyday signs and symbols.
Adel Abdessemed’s international career has been marked by significant recognition and high-profile exhibitions. He has participated in four Venice Biennales (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015), receiving the prestigious Benesse Prize in 2007. His work has also been featured at major biennials such as Istanbul (2007, 2017), Havana (2009), Gwangju (2008), Lyon (2007), and São Paulo (2006). In 2018, he was included in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale, one of the largest and most innovative contemporary art festivals in Japan. Beyond exhibitions, Abdessemed has worked across disciplines, directing the scenography and lighting for “Retour à Berratham” during the 2015 Avignon Festival, collaborating with choreographer Angelin Preljocaj. His works have been shown in major institutions and galleries worldwide, and he is represented by the David Zwirner Gallery in New York.
The EXIT installation was commissioned by Beppu Project NPO for the inaugural Beppu Contemporary Art Festival: Mixed Bathing World Triennale in Oita, Japan. The project was produced by Junya Yamaide and directed by Serizawa Takashi, with Keith Whittle serving as advisor and assistant director. This festival is notable for its engagement with site-specific and time-based media art, situated within the rich cultural and natural landscape of Beppu and the wider Oita region.
