Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery has announced its autumn exhibition, "Peal the Bells," featuring five projects that explore the human voice as a medium for collective action, lament, and political critique. The group show includes paintings, sonic installations, and moving image works by artists Noor Abed, Anoushka Akel, Qianye and Qianhe Lin, Maree Sheehan, and Mo H. Zareei. The exhibition investigates how speech and listening function in an era of digital chatter and bureaucratic evasion, highlighting the voice as a vital index of contemporary social dynamics.
This exhibition is significant for its multidisciplinary approach to the politics of sound and silence, particularly within the context of New Zealand's academic and cultural landscape. By bringing together international and local perspectives, curators Abby Cunnane and Vera Mey address urgent themes such as the destruction of archives, the performance of official government language, and the role of the chorus in resisting imperialist structures. The show positions the act of listening as a conscious form of empathy and discernment in a polarized media environment.