Monira Al Qadiri

Monira Al Qadiri (b. 1983, Dakar, Senegal) is a Kuwaiti artist whose practice explores global histories, ecologies, and cultural narratives. Raised between cultures and educated in Japan, where she earned a PhD in intermedia art from Tokyo University of the Arts, Al Qadiri primarily focuses on the worldwide impact of natural resource extraction. Through a combination of in-depth research and humor, in her sculpture, videos, and installations, she brings to the fore the effects of what she refers to as “petro-culture”—a society shaped by and reliant on oil consumption. Al Qadiri invites us to imagine petroleum in different ways, for example, through sculptures of the prehistoric fossils that eventually became oil itself, or its pearlescence that mimics the oyster pearl divers who worked on the Persian Gulf before the discovery of oil. Often characterized by seductive shapes and iridescent colors, Al Qadiri’s work blends autobiographical elements, literature, pop culture, and science fiction. Whether juxtaposing opulence and adversity, tradition and innovation, or the fragility of both natural and human ecosystems, her work encourages deep reflection on the pressing issues of our time. She is based in Berlin.

(as of 2025)