ATHR presents Wish You Were Here, a solo exhibition by Lebanese/British artist, Aya Haidar.

Haidar’s inaugural solo exhibition at Athr Gallery showcases independent bodies of work, collectively generating dialogue around themes of displacement and notions of home.

Haidar’s family fled their native Lebanon during the war in 1982, leaving their home and belongings behind. Some 30 years later, this home was revisited and belongings collected.

The selection and extraction of these personal items evokes a deep nostalgia and unearths poignant memories of a time lost but never forgotten. The reworking of these found objects pulls them from the relative into the discursive where notions of home, forced migration and memory lie at its core, presented within a present-day global socio-political context.

Although the focus of the subject matter stems from the personal and regional, it expands into the universal as these wide ranging issues spill across boundaries and span time.

On display is a range of Haidar’s most recent works, ranging from site specific sculptural installations, sound pieces and embroidered interventions. The exhibition has been carefully curated to flood the senses, building a layered discourse and resonant understanding through light, sound and craft.