The Oil, the Extraterrestrial

»An extraterrestrial being lives among us. It is hundreds of millions of years old – an ancient alien,« artist Monira Al Qadiri (*1983) creates the image of oil. The invisible, chameleon-like creature permeates every corner of our modern existence, sometimes infiltrating it completely unnoticed. With this allegory, Al Qadiri has created all sorts of new works over the past ten years – most recently including those created especially for her solo show at Kunsthaus Bregenz. Beginning April 22, visitors to Mutant Passages will reap the fruits of her research into oil as a raw material.

From large, inflatable sculptures that float overhead, to large-scale, shimmering and rotating objects, to replicas of snail shells and bird carcasses, the audience experiences scientific representations, images of oil extraction and environmental disasters. Al Qadiri's new works are jarring. They illustrate human dependence on oil and its destructive power to various organisms. Through July 2, interested visitors will experience in a vivid, multidimensional way how Al Qadiri translates the »problem child« oil into speaking images.