Zero

Building Monuments to the End of Oil

“I'm making art about the end of oil in a country that would not be able to survive without it,” says Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri on the Zero podcast

Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri stands with her works titled Alien Technology, which are made up of sculptures depicting enlarged oil drill bits in iridescent colors.

Photographer: Markus Tretter

Monira Al Qadiri says she is pre-empting the end of oil and building monuments to it. As one of the most important contemporary artists of the Middle East, her work — spanning sculptures, films and performances — throws new light on humanity’s deep interdependent relationship with fossil fuels. This week on Zero, Akshat Rathi asks Al Qadiri how art can help make sense of the current moment.

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