New public art for a bright and engaged McMaster community

A new neon sculpture by Hiba Abdallah is lighting up the McMaster Museum of Art.

Commissioned and conceived in 2019, Abdallah’s white neon sculpture has now been installed above the museum entrance. As is typical of her recent practice, the artist uses text as a jumping off point for questions, reflection, and discussion about specific, surrounding communities. In this case, her glowing, cursive text reads, “we remain profoundly and infinitely connected.”

Abdallah describes this sculpture:

“The McMaster Museum of Art is a beacon of engagement and learning, both on campus and with the public at large. When thinking about the role this institution holds in the community, I wanted to create a statement that emphasizes human connectivity as a reciprocal feedback loop.”

“The text is simple yet evocative of the complex nature of connection, as evidenced in the very subjects studied on campus, from quantum physics to political science to visual art to biochemistry. My hope is for this piece to function as a welcoming prompt when entering the museum during the day, and a poetic declaration of unity at night.”

The McMaster Museum of Art is proud to unveil Hiba Abdallah’s sculpture and a special Artist in Conversation video on September 25 for the launch of Ontario Culture Days.