EXIT is a site-specific artwork by Adel Abdessemed (b. 1971, Constantine, Algeria), a significant figure in the international art scene. Abdessemed, who was born in Algeria and is now based in Paris, works across various media, including drawing, video, photography, performance, and installation. He transforms everyday materials and images into unexpected, impactful, and sometimes shocking artistic statements.
He draws inspiration from a wide range of sources—personal, social, and political—to create a visual language that is both rich and economical, sensitive and controversial, radical and ordinary. Many of the situations created by Abdessemed are based on singular and deliberate actions, which he refers to as “acts.” These acts are often juxtaposed with a sculptural remnant from the action itself.
EXIT focuses on language as its subject. It alters a single letter in the illuminated signs commonly used to indicate an exit: “exit” becomes “exil,” which means “exile” in French. This small change plays on the sign’s symbolic status, creating a new word and image that evokes surprise due to its subtle difference from the original. The modified sign is placed at the entrance of an exhibition venue, marking a boundary to be crossed. The word “exile” references the artist, who was forced to leave Algeria in 1994. Additionally, the association with “exit” signs evokes the act of crossing borders, a liberating action central to Abdessemed’s art.
Currently based in New York, the artist has showcased his work at four Venice Biennales (2003, 2007, 2011, 2015), where he received the Benesse Prize in 2007. Additionally, he has presented his work at two Istanbul Biennales (2007, 2017) and the Biennales of Havana (2009), Gwangju (2008), Lyon (2007), and São Paulo (2006). In 2018, he participated in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale. He also took part in the Rencontres de la Photographie d’Arles, where he exhibited a series of photographs and sculptures curated by Jean Nouvel. In 2015, he directed the scenography and lighting for “Retour à Berratham” during the Avignon Festival, collaborating with choreographer Angelin Preljocaj. The artist is represented by David Zwirner Gallery in New York.
EXIT is commissioned by Beppu Project NPO, with special thanks to the David Zwirner Gallery in New York. It is part of 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, who served as advisor and assistant director.
