You’re cordially invited to visit On rock-soft matters, an immersive exhibition by Italian visual artist Chiara Bastoni. The exhibition features her 2026 film A Sun In The Palm alongside a selection of visual works by Egyptian artists:
Hazem El Mestikawy — Huda Lutfi — Marwan Fayed — Nour El Sherif
This exhibition is a journey.
A space to enter slowly, to pause, to feel.
It invites you to see and resonate with the spiritual life within Islam in a new way through intimacy, emotion, and beauty.
Not as dogma nor as doctrine, but as an endeavour contributing to humanity.
Full spaces and empty spaces. Silence and sound. Repetition and immersion.
It is a world of metaphors.
Organs that hold oceans.
Flowers that carry a longing.
Photographs that speak in human voices.
The natural and the human are reflected in one another, entwined, inseparable.
This is not a passive exhibition.
It is performative.
It asks you to connect, to wander, to get lost.
To sit, to breathe, to talk, to rest.
To make the journey your own and allow it to resonate.
You will be welcomed.
Guided gently.
This is a collective meditation.
A space of beauty, empathy, and connection—
to yourself, to others, to the world.
-Chiara Bastoni
Artwork by Marwan Fayed
The exhibition and film are the result of a one year artistic/curatorial research project into Islamic ritual, engaging contemporary art within an Egyptian context.
A Sun In The Palm | a film by Chiara Bastoni (2026)
Single-channel HD video with sound; 36 min
A Sun In the Palm is an experimental art film — an abstract, immersive journey into connection via sound and moving images. It unfolds in five acts, each highlighting the protagonists’ artistic practices that shape the narrative: Islam El Arabi, Moussa Eid and Ahmed Goma, Ahmed Yasser, Samir Shehata.
Each practice embodies a distinct way of connecting: to God and the body, to nature and life’s gentle core, to the self through beauty, to others through love and conflict, to others through acceptance and gentleness, and to the things of the world through empathy and unity. It’s an abstract, spiritual elaboration meant to engage emotionally rather than build a particular narrative, hoping to leave the viewer with questions that can remain unanswered.
The film is the result of a year-long artistic/curatorial research residency on Islamic spirituality and ritual through contemporary art — a hybrid experimental project by visual artist Chiara Bastoni. Filmed through the eyes of a photographer, the film conveys connection and unity through visual associations and messages that both overlap and layer.
It contains subtle, quiet references to Islamic rituals and Qur’anic passages, perceptible only to those who know or seek, a deliberate choice to keep the work universal.
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Director / artist Chiara Bastoni
Camera Chiara Bastoni
Sound Rasmus Jon, Lucila Pelleriti, Chiara Bastoni, Tommaso Fusari
Editing Lucila Pelleriti
Music / sound composition
Act 1: All In Circles - Written and composed by Shida Shahabi
Act 2: Madre - Written and composed by C+C=Maxigross
Act 3: Cereal Rudestorm - Composed and produced by Bjarki
Act 4: Luxembourg Garden - Composed and produced by Vanity Productions
Act 5: Let It Go - Written and Composed by Peter Broderick
End Titles: Irhamna - Composed and produced by Anthony Sayhoun
Performers Islam El Arabi (Act 1), Moussa Eid, Ahmed Goma (Act 2), Ahmed Yasser (Act 3), Samir Shehata (Act 4), Emma Pernarella (V/O Intro and Act 5)
Producer Seldon Institute
The views expressed in the work do not necessarily represent those of Seldon Institute
On rock-soft matters
The exhibition unfolds as a quiet, immersive journey centered on delicacy, silence, and intimate exchange. You’re encouraged to visit with someone close to you and move through it slowly, sharing a moment of stillness and empathy — or to come alone and step away from daily noise.
Approximate visit length: 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Special dates:
• April 4th 6:00pm: Special event (concert by @vradwan & film screening, tea and food)
• April 11th 11:30am: Online talk with artists Marwan Fayed and Nour Sherif
This exhibition is made possible by a grant from the Seldon Institute.
Venue: 5659 S Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637
When: April 2 to April 12, 2026.Visiting hours (by reservation):
Monday–Sunday: 10.30-13.30 and 5.30-8.30 PMVisits are by booking only, with a minimum of two days notice. If these times don’t work for you, you’re welcome to email Chiara Bastoni to request a special opening, also with two days' notice (you’ll find a reference email in the RSVP).
Because the exhibition is designed as an intimate, immersive experience and space is limited, we kindly ask you to RSVP via the link in bio and select a visiting time to respect. This helps us ensure a calm and pleasant experience for everyone. If you anticipate being more than 15 minutes late, please let us know; you’ll be able to join the next available entrance, if capacity allows.
Admission, upon RSVP:
$20 general admission
$5 studentsIf the exhibition fee is prohibitive, please email: info@seldoninstitute.org
Artist and curator Chiara Bastoni will be present every day.You can access both activities upon ticket purchase and use the same ticket to visit the exhibition another day. We ask you to send an email in that case for the same reasons as above. Capacity is limited due to space limitations