A minimalist concrete gallery hall featuring a sprawling sound installation with various drums, a large hanging gong, a kinetic mobile suspended from the ceiling, and exposed cables across the floor.

Tarek Atoui:
The Ground, The Rain, and The Harvesters

Opening
31 Jul 2027

M+ presents an installation of sound instruments by Tarek Atoui (Lebanese, born 1980), which draws on the artist’s longstanding research into the sonic environments of East and Southeast Asia. The exhibition features a newly configured selection from Atoui’s three long-term projects: The Ground (2015–ongoing), The Rain (2019–ongoing), and The Harvesters (2021–ongoing). Together, they explore musical, agricultural, and craft traditions in China, South Korea, Thailand, and beyond.

Atoui’s instruments are not static objects but active sculptural systems. A drop of water may trigger a drum sequence. Electrical air blowers simulate breath, activating structures that recall traditional bamboo pipes. There is also an element of chance—ceramic forms, strings, and rotating surfaces set off chain reactions, resulting in random harmony and dissonance.

Community engagement is another crucial aspect of Atoui’s practice. A special series of live performances during the exhibition period will allow visitors to engage with the display in new and unexpected ways. These activations reward repeat visits and offer visitors fresh opportunities to experience the connections between sound, landscape, local knowledge, and collective making that run through Atoui’s work.

An indoor bamboo conduit and water-channel system set up inside a rustic wooden pavilion on tiled floors, featuring tilted bamboo spouts directing water into ceramic basins and a large earthenware jar.

Installation view of The Harvesters (2021–ongoing) at the Thailand Biennale, Chiang Rai, 2023 © Tarek Atoui. Photo: © Wanchai Phutthawarin

A large, intricately textured white ceramic vessel with ruffled vertical folds, sitting atop a wooden platform, accompanied by a branch attached to a microphone stand-like apparatus.

Installation view of The Ground (2015–ongoing) at the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris, 2021 © Tarek Atoui. Photo: © Aurélien Mole

Installation view of The Rain (2019–ongoing) at Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria, 2024 © Tarek Atoui. Photo: Markus Tretter © Tarek Atoui, Kunsthaus Bregenz