The Renaissance Society at The University of Chicago

Dala Nasser: Adonis River

September 16 - November 26, 2023The Renaissance Society presents the first institutional solo exhibition of Beirut and London-based artist Dala Nasser, featuring a new site-specific commission responding to the expansive height and volume of the Ren’s exhibition space.

Nasser’s project at the Ren centers on the Adonis River (known in modern day Lebanon as the Abraham River) where the mythical Adonis, the mortal lover of the Goddess Aphrodite, was killed by a wild boar. To this day, the myths surrounding this river are commemorated in pilgrimages of mourning and grief. Nasser made the paintings for the exhibition inside the cave where Adonis was killed, on fabrics dyed with iron oxide-rich local clay and washed in the river’s water. Rather than hanging on walls, these works are configured into three-dimensional spatial environments that evoke the Adonis temple, the cave, and its surroundings.

Curated by Myriam Ben Salah.

This exhibition is supported by Maria Sukkar and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Opening September 16, closing November 26.

Gallery Hours

Friday: 12-6

Saturday & Sunday: 10-6

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