Bilal Chalal

With this installation, Bilal Chahal draws attention in a positive way to the suffering suffered at the time of the pandemic. At the same time, this project offers the opportunity to look into the future, at what has changed and how we can move forward. Looking back and looking forward: A memorial for a period that should not be forgotten. "One has to remember in order to belong".

Due to the pandemic, since March 2020 we have all had to deal with many limitations in our lives, and this has (had) a great impact on our existence. Many of us have mourned lost loved ones, seen future plans and income disappear and faced restricted movement. The social isolation in which we found ourselves combined with feelings of dissatisfaction, frustration and fear caused psychological problems for many. Just as we have all stood side by side for the past two years in the fight against the coronavirus, we can also start to make a contribution together to processing this, a small stone that is a metaphor for building, for the future and for hope.

About the artist

Bilal Chahal is a visual artist, born in Tripoli (Lebanon) in 1978. When he was 10 years old, he moved to Curaçao and eventually ended up in Amsterdam. He works and lives alternately in Amsterdam and Bogotá (Colombia). His work spans several disciplines within an abstract and conceptual oeuvre. Contributing a little' consists of two complementary parts: an installation at the Amsterdam Museum and an interactive exhibition page on the website Corona in the City.

The work can be visited free of charge during opening hours of the Hermitage until 31 August 2022.