Monica Al Qadiri discusses her new work “Spectrum 1,” specially produced for the exhibition "Let's Talk about the Weather" at the Sursock Museum (14 July–24 October 2016).
Pearls and oil share the same color; they are on opposite ends of the dichroic color spectrum. The exploitation of these two materials at various points in history has been fundamental to the cultural and economic life of the Gulf region.
Spectrum 1 follows on from Monira Al Qadiri’s research into the historical and cultural legacy of the pearl trade and the massive socio-economic shifts brought about by its replacement with a petro-economy.
Based on the heads of deep-sea oil drills, these alien-like sculptural objects liken these machines to intruders from another planet. Here, the substance of oil is seen as an alien intruder, one that dramatically altered the historical narrative of an entire region.
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