Monira Al Qadiri

The exploitation of nature and fast economic growth are interconnected in many places in the world. In Monira Al Qadiri’s investigative project she hones in on the ecological, cultural and economic legacy of two industries in the Gulf states, namely those of pearl and oil. These materials have at different points in history been fundamental to the region, where oil has now overtaken the once more prominent position of the pearl. In the installation Spectrum 1 we see six sculptures in glittering mother-of-pearl reminiscent of underwater creatures – corals or sea-anemones – mounted onto a purple wall. But actually, the strange objects follow the form of the drills used to extract oil. Depending on the angle and how we move about the space, the sculptures change colour. Nonetheless, their dominant colour is purple, and perhaps an omen of what’s to come: in the oil industry, that colour signifies extraordinary danger. It appears on oil rigs only after the warning colour red – at this point, an explosion is inevitable. For superstitious reasons, you do not wear purple to work.

Monira Al Qadiri (b. in Dakar, 1983) is an artist based in Berlin.

Work

Spectrum 1, 2016

Location

Galleri Syster, Luleå
17.11.2018–17.2.2018