About the Program
Celebrate Monira Al Qadiri: First Sun, our newest public exhibition in Central Park! Join us for a drop-in event with opening remarks and a chance to explore the artist’s installation for the first time.
The exhibition is located at Doris C. Freedman Plaza at the southeast corner of Central Park. The closest subway stops are the N, R, W to 5th Avenue; 4, 5, 6 to 59th Street/Lexington Avenue.
Email [email protected] with questions and requests for accessibility. Please send any needs for services or accommodations to support your participation in this program, including ASL interpretation, by August 20, 2025.
About the Artist
Monira Al Qadiri is a Kuwaiti artist whose practice explores global histories, ecologies, and cultural narratives. Raised between cultures and educated in Japan, where she earned a Ph.D. 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, Germany.
