Seeing Sounds

Sedje Hémon, Sam Middleton, Dion Rosina and Raafat Ballan show that music is not only a subject, but also a method and a form of resistance. In their work, they weave together musical elements such as composition, improvisation, sampling and ensemble playing to imagine freedom, identity and connection.

Although Hémon, Middleton, Rosina and Ballan come from different generations and cultural backgrounds, they share the same conviction: that music can offer both inspiration and a method through which social, political and artistic boundaries may be crossed. Seeing Sounds brings their variations on this theme together in one exhibition, making the role of music in the four oeuvres palpable and revealing striking affinities between them. The work of the four artists shows how music, from jazz to hip hop, becomes a visual language through which freedom can be made tangible.

Cover image: Sam Middleton, Corner Pocket, 1962, oil on canvas | collection Museum van Bommel van Dam