ECONOMY
OF THE
DUST
Solo show at V.O. Curations open until 30th June (56 Conduit Street W1S 2YZ London ) 2022
‘Developed during her residency at
V.O Curations, Sandra Poulson presents a series of new works, which draw from
the artist’s personal experience of growing up in Luanda, Angola. For this
exhibition, presented across two gallery spaces, the artist took the
ever-present dust in the city, central to its geographic location, to reflect
on Luanda’s economic, social and cultural landscape. The works are made in
fabric, a material seminal in constructing the way our bodies navigate the
world, with each element pattern cut and handsewn. In Luanda, the dust is a
stable and reliable resource, while at the same time many jobs and daily
activities are focused on the effort to erase any traces of it. Referencing
AbdouMaliq Simone in thinking of the dust as an accidental gift for the city,
Poulson uses this narrative to think about how something seemingly unwanted is
an essential part that shapes the local society. Dust, or more the act of
removal of it, is here a source of income, a commodity, a border, and a
signifier of economic and social status. It dictates the choreography of urban
life through the endless looped activities associated with the impossible task
of erasing it. Structured around moments of meeting and intersecting, Economy
of the Dust references the elementary architectural language of Luanda –
objects, environments and situations that form the city. Juxtaposing elements
of opposite qualities and characteristics, the works share stories of
restriction, access, friction and hope.’
Exhibition curation and words : Natalia Grabowska
Images : Installation Views
Image Credits : Theo Christelis
