We live in a world of new nomads—people who increasingly find themselves between cultures and places, their lives shaped by forced or voluntary mobility.
Whether moving to a new city, experiencing resettlement, or navigating life as descendants of immigrants, many of us develop strategies to make place. How do people from elsewhere or ‘manywhere’ (carrying different cultural experiences) find their place and create a sense of belonging?
In Dispositions, French architect Yasmine Abbas presents installations, works on paper, and leatherwork that examine how we position ourselves to make home in different situations—in the universe, in the fold of papers, in a corner, and within the expanse of animal hide. Through mirrored and folded surfaces, she creates third spaces: new territories of possibility that emerge at the intersection of different cultures.
The title “Dispositions” refers both to our state of mind and to how we arrange ourselves in relation to others and our surroundings. Abbas explores the emotional dynamics between people and places—our attitudes, behaviors, and the ways we make ourselves available to new experiences. Her work responds to the many expressions of intolerance toward outsiders by examining how contemporary nomads assess and thread their way through unfamiliar spaces, adapting in real time to changing social landscapes.
The installations remind us that we are not alone in these efforts. Through reflective surfaces that multiply our presence, woven forms that suggest both shelter and connection, and materials that carry their own histories of transformation, Abbas reveals the creative potential within displacement. Her work speaks to the active engagement required to inhabit a world in motion alongside others rather than in opposition to them.
Drawing from her experience living and working across four continents, Abbas transforms the suspended state of in-betweenness into an exploration of creative adaptation and shared possibility.
Bio
A cultural hybrid, French architect, researcher, and educator who has resided and worked on four continents, Yasmine Abbas explores the poetics and politics of living on the move. Her collaborative work has been exhibited internationally at the 2017 Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism, Afropixel #6 in Dakar, Senegal, the Center for Art and Media – ZKM in Karlsruhe, Germany, the Museum für Gestaltung Zürich in Switzerland, and the Biennale Architettura 2023 and 2025 in Venice, Italy. She is the Director of the Immersive Environments Lab at Penn State University.
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