The Armory Show has announced that London and Beirut-based artist Lawrence Abu Hamdan will be the commissioned artist for 2015. In this role for the fair, Hamdan will assist in establishing the fair’s visual identity, take on an on-site project, and create a limited edition work to benefit New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

“In just a few short years, Abu Hamdan has emerged as one of the most decisive voices of a younger generation of artists working across borders and disciplines, and grounded with an acute interest in the politics of expression,” said the Armory Show’s executive director Noah Horowitz in a statement.

Through audio-visual installations, sculpture, workshops, and performance, Hamdan explores the intersection of human rights, international law, and the integrity of the voice. For his 2012 solo show “The Freedom of Speech Itself,” at the Showroom in London, for which he created a 30-minute audio “documentary,” which examined forensic speech analysis used in international courtrooms and political forums, the artist questioned how people, and their speech acts, are represented within political and juridical forums. Hamdan has shown work at the Tate Modern, the Van Abbemuseum, and the Taipei Biennial.

Omar Kholeif, curator, of the “Armory Focus” section, spotlighting the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean (MENAM) (see “Omar Kholeif to Curate 2015 Armory Show’s “Focus” Sector“), called Hamran “one of the most urgent artistic voices working today.”

“Unlike many other commissions,” said Hamdan in a statement, “this offers an exciting platform for my work to engage with audiences in new ways and on multiple levels.”