WHERE: Main Galleries (2nd Floor)
DARK MATTER by British artist Faisal Abdu’Allah explores cultural representation and self-determination.
DARK MATTER includes a selection of the artist’s most celebrated series, as well as a reconstruction of Garden of Eden (2003), an architectural installation the artist created in collaboration with renowned architect Sir David Adjaye. Exploring issues of privilege, exclusion, and the voyeuristic gaze, this interactive piece separates visitors based on genetic traits—in this case, eye color—in order to undermine our perceptions of difference and alienation. With Garden of Eden, Abdu’Allah points to the privileges conferred to certain people based on the nuances of their genetic matter.
In other works Abdu’Allah uses human hair, a carrier of DNA, and focuses on the ritual of cutting hair. Abdu’Allah is also a trained barber, a profession he has fully integrated into his artistic practice, most notably through his community-based Live Salon performances (2006–present). During each Live Salon session, he provides free haircuts to willing museum visitors and engages them in open-ended conversations about issues surrounding contemporary social identity and representation. In Hair Traits (2016–present), Abdu’Allah uses participants’ actual hair, which he blends into a fine powder to render their portrait on paper. Regarding his use of human hair, he explains, “Essentially, it brings their DNA, their identity, into the work. Our hair carries a trace of who we are, and it is extremely political. In the history of post-colonialism, the straighter your hair was, the higher up on the chain of respect you were.”
DARK MATTER will also feature a counter-monument by Abdu’Allah, which he first conceived of several years ago in response to debates about the role of monuments and their removal from public view. His solution was to commission artists of color to create new monuments that represent their own aesthetics, histories, and experiences. Commissioned by MMoCA, Blu³eprint was realized in collaboration with the fine arts team at Quarra Stone Company in Madison and Italy-based master stone carver and sculptor Martin Foot. The counter-monument will be prominently placed at MMoCA as a public work of art.
Accessibility
Exhibition labels are available in English and Spanish. Large-print labels are available in the galleries.

Related Installation
About the Artist
Faisal Abdu’Allah is a British-born, Wisconsin-based artist and barber. He studied in London at the Royal College of Art. He is Professor of Printmaking and Associate Dean for the Arts in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. In 2021, Abdu’Allah was named the Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art at UW-Madison.
Artwork



Programming & Events
Exhibition Celebration | Opening Reception
Friday, September 17, 2022 • 5–8 PM
MMoCA Cinema | Sunday Matinee |
Sunday, December 4, 2022 • 12 PM & 1 PM (Films recommended by Faisal Abdu’Allah)
Drop-in Tours
Thursday, January 19, 2023 • 4:45 PM • 5:15 PM
The Beginnings of Prince Hall Free & Accepted Masonry in Wisconsin
Thursday, January 19, 2023 • 6–7 PM • A Lecture Featuring Alan Chancellor
Videos
Artist Talk and Live Q&A with Faisal Abdu’Allah
Virtual Tour
Press
Press Releases
Faisal Abdu’Allah: DARK MATTER Press Release
DARK MATTER Receives Andy Warhol Foundation Grant Press Release
Faisal Abdu’Allah Exhibition Receives NEA Grant Press Release
Press Coverage
Warhol Foundation Announces Fall 2021 Grantees
– Art Forum
Sculpture of UW-Madison art professor brings message of ‘shared humanity’
– The Capital Times
MMoCA receives significant grant supporting fall exhibition of work by UW–Madison’s Abdu’Allah
– University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education News
Faisal Abdu’Allah’s Blu³eprint hopes to spark conversations about the complexities of historical monuments
– Madison365
Watch Now: New ‘counter monument’ sculpture on State Street celebrates shared humanity
– Madison.com
New sculpture by UW-Madison professor unveiled on State Street
– The Daily Cardinal
Abdu’Allah sculpture unveiled on State Street in Madison
– University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education News
Faisal Abdu’Allah: DARK MATTER
– Art-agenda Announcements
Barber, printmaker, professor finds humanity beyond race
– University of Wisconsin–Madison News
Building a ‘Counter-monument’: Abdu’Allah unveils sculpture aimed at better representation
– University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education News
Best of Madison Editors’ Picks 2022
– Madison Magazine
Abu’Allah’s Blu³eprint is honored as ‘Best New Piece of Public Art’ by Madison Magazine
– University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Education News
Madison Artist Faisal Abdu’Allah’s DARK MATTER Invites Public Into His Journey of Transformation
– Wisconsin Muslim Journal
How do Madison monuments represent our community?
– Madison Magazine
Who are the Prince Hall Masons? Exhibit shines a light on their work
– Wisconsin State Journal

Exhibition Support
Presenting Sponsorship for Faisal Abdu’Allah: DARK MATTER has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Major Sponsorship has been provided by Gina and Michael Carter, and Husch Blackwell. Additional support has been provided by Dane Arts with additional funds from the Endres Mfg. Company Foundation, the Evjue Foundation, Inc., charitable arm of the Capital Times, the W. Jerome Frautschi Foundation, and the Pleasant T. Rowland Foundation.