Kris Rumman: Till Human Voices Wake Us, And We Drown

About

Till Human Voices Wake Us, And We Drown, a solo exhibition of work by  Palestinian-American interdisciplinary artist Kris Rumman, will be on view at UrbanGlass from January 19 – April 8, 2022. 

Curated  by Zeljka Himbele, the exhibition inaugurates UrbanGlass’ Curator-at-Large program, which will give an invited curator the opportunity to develop innovative concepts and public programs for 4 annual exhibitions presented in UrbanGlass’ Robert Lehman Gallery. The program’s goal is to address critical cultural issues and to contribute to the contemporary art and design dialogue through the material of glass.

The notions of balance, interconnectedness and codependency within living systems permeate Kris Rumman’s multimedia artistic practice. Working from a background in glass-making techniques, Rumman often experiments with a myriad of materials, traditional and non-traditional ones, juxtaposing them with glass elements in her objects, ambiances and performances. The artist’s research into the physical and metaphorical properties of materials is closely linked to her immersion in the sociological, psychological and political issues of our times. At times, in subtle ways, Rumman’s practice touches upon her own Palestinian family’s history of migration to the US within a larger context of the 20th century and contemporary displacements and migrations. Appearing as temporary inhabitants and curious students of its visitors, her work often uses mirror and reflection to track, surveil, guide, and comply with its witnesses. Captivated by the materials of architecture, power (authority) and chance (Inshallah), Rumman’s work is migratory, situationally responsive, and inextricably linked to the geopolitics where she lives. 

About the artist

Kris Rumman is a Palestinian-American artist from Toledo, Ohio who creates sculpture, performance, and installations. Rumman has exhibited and made performances across the United States and internationally including the Strohl and Fowler-Kellogg Art Center (Chautauqua, NY), UrbanGlass (NYC), Temple Contemporary, Little Berlin, Conwell Dance Theater, and Vox Populi (Philadelphia, PA), Project Gallery (Ann Arbor, MI), Georgetown Space (Washington D.C), Ohio Craft Museum (Columbus, OH), Toledo Museum of Art (Toledo, OH) and Abate Zanetti Gallery (Murano, Italy). She has received international awards and grants, including support from The Velocity Fund through Temple Contemporary and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, The Laurie Wagman Prize in Glass, and recognition from the Glass Arts Society, naming her the 2019 Saxe Emerging Artist. Kris earned her MFA at Tyler School of Art at Temple University and her BFA from Bowling Green State University. http://kristinerumman.com

About the curator

Zeljka Himbele is a curator based in New York City. Originally from Croatia, where she worked for several years at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Zagreb, she graduated from the Center for Curatorial Studies at Bard College. From 2008-2010 she worked at the Contemporary Art Department of the Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI, working on a series of solo and group exhibitions for New Media Gallery. She frequently collaborates with G-MK Gallery in Zagreb. She was a guest critic, lecturer, panelist or exhibition juror for the institutions The ISCP, NY; NARS Foundation, NY; CUNY, NY; The New School, NY; The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, NY; Wave Hill, NY; Art OMI International Art Center, Ghent; Dumbo Arts Center, NY; Residency Unlimited, NY; Pratt Institute, Brooklyn; Flux Factory, NY; Chester College, NH; Cambridge Art Association, MA; Parsons The New School for Design, NY; and Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design, RI, among others. Additionally, Mrs. Himbele was a Curatorial Fellow at Art in General, and also curated exhibitions at Plexus Projects, Residency Unlimited and NURTUREart in Brooklyn, NY; Big Medium Gallery in Austin, TX; Lafayette College, PA; Cuchifritos, NY; Illuminated Metropolis, NY; Occurrence, Montreal, Canada; and Futura Gallery, Prague, Czech Republic.