Monira Al Qadiri
'Holy Quarter'
Monira Al Qadiri’s multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the culture and histories of the Persian Gulf. Her works examine the region’s complex past and circumstances that have contributed to rapid change. In Holy Quarter, a film and sculptural installation, she explores the blending of myth and purported fact. The film centers on the exploits of British explorer Harry St. John Philby, who journeyed to the “Empty Quarter” of the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s in search of the legendary lost region of Ubar, described in local lore as having been destroyed by divine punishment. Rather than discovering this ancient civilization, Philby encountered remnants of a dramatic meteorite strike, which formed black glass “pearls” from melted sand. Juxtaposed with Al Qadiri’s sculptural evocations of these pearls, the film is narrated by the spirit of the meteor, which warns of impending ecological disaster at the hands of man while offering hope for the future through collective efforts at reversal.
Monira Al Qadiri’s multidisciplinary practice is rooted in the culture and histories of the Persian Gulf. Her works examine the region’s complex past and circumstances that have contributed to rapid change. In Holy Quarter, a film and sculptural installation, she explores the blending of myth and purported fact. The film centers on the exploits of British explorer Harry St. John Philby, who journeyed to the “Empty Quarter” of the Arabian Peninsula in the 1930s in search of the legendary lost region of Ubar, described in local lore as having been destroyed by divine punishment. Rather than discovering this ancient civilization, Philby encountered remnants of a dramatic meteorite strike, which formed black glass “pearls” from melted sand. Juxtaposed with Al Qadiri’s sculptural evocations of these pearls, the film is narrated by the spirit of the meteor, which warns of impending ecological disaster at the hands of man while offering hope for the future through collective efforts at reversal.
About the artist
Monira Al Qadiri (b. 1983, Senegal; lives and works in Berlin) is a Kuwaiti visual artist born in Senegal and educated in Japan. Spanning sculpture, installation, film, and performance, Al Qadiri’s multifaceted practice is based on research into the cultural histories of the Gulf region. Her speculative scenarios take inspiration from science fiction, autobiography, traditional practices, and pop culture, resulting in uncanny and covertly subversive works that destabilize mythologies of statecraft and modernization as well as traditional notions of gender. Tracing the delicate ecologies threatened by the petroleum industry’s relentless resource extraction, Al Qadiri’s works envision a world in which oil is a relic of humanity’s past. Al Qadiri has held solo exhibitions at UCCA Dune, China; Kunsthaus Bregenz, Austria; the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Spain; Blaffer Art Museum, Houston, Texas; Haus der Kunst, Munich; Kunstverein Göttingen, Germany; CIRCL Pavilion, Amsterdam; Sursock Museum, Beirut; Gasworks, London; Stroom Den Haag, the Hague; and Sultan Gallery, Kuwait. She has participated in collective exhibitions including Desert X AlUla; the Sharjah Biennial; the Carnegie International, Pittsburgh; the Triennial of Small Sculpture, Fellbach, Germany; Dubai Expo; Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennale, Riyadh; Asian Art Biennial, Taiwan; Future Generation Art Prize, Kyiv; Berlinale Forum Expanded; Asia Pacific Triennial, Brisbane; Lulea Biennial, Sweden; and the Athens Biennale as well as at Mudam Luxembourg; Mori Art Museum, Tokyo; Palais de Tokyo, Paris; MoMA PS1, New York; and Jameel Arts Centre, Dubai, among others. In 2022, Al Qadiri was featured in the Venice Biennale’s central exhibition The Milk of Dreams.
Programs and events
Artist talks: Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola and Monira Al Qadiri
Join SCAD Museum of Art exhibiting artists Anthony Olubunmi Akinbola and Monira Al Qadiri for two artist talks expounding on their newly opened solo exhibitions. The artists will speak on the powerful impact of cultural influences on their multifaceted practices.
NEW TIME Reception: SCAD Museum of Art fall exhibitions opening
This event has been moved to an earlier start time of 10am.
Credits
Holy Quarter is organized by SCAD Museum of Art curator Ben Tollefson.
