Lebanese artist Pascal Hachem transforms everyday objects into unexpected artworks

Available to view during an upcoming solo exhibition at The Mosaic Rooms in London, the series is timely and relevant to the world's political and social unease. As the gallery describes: "Hachem activates these passive objects to become subjects, resonant with the potential for action.

"In the stone in my pocket installed in the basement gallery, several pairs of trousers hang suspended in the air above mirrors, a stone is placed where each right foot should be. The leg of one of the pairs of trousers lifts and drops repeatedly throughout the day, the stone hitting the glass. At some point the accumulated impact will break the mirror beneath, splintering its reflection. The works create physical traces, but the traces point to absence. The shattered mirror becomes the record of this repeated act, the cause does not remain."

Hachem’s work explores a contradiction, in which a "sense of powerlessness to act or understand exists alongside invitations to act". The repetition of nonsensical actions can create a sense of distance, yet the works often invite participation. By presenting these visual conundrums to interact with, Hachem is prompting us to be present, to observe and carefully consider what is happening around us.

Pascal Hachem's The Show Has a Long Title That I Don't Recall Anymore kicks off on 15 September and runs until 2 December 2017 at London's The Mosaic Rooms.

Main image: Emptiness (2013). Pascal Hachem. Image courtesy of Pascal Hachem and Selma Feriani Gallery