Monira Al Qadiri

Kuwait and the Ruhr region have more in common than one might think at first glance. For a long time, a single raw material determined the economy, society and geography in both places – coal in the Ruhr region and oil in Kuwait. While the last coal mine in the Ruhr region closed long ago and structural change has been the order of the day for decades, oil production in Kuwait will continue for another 90 years or so – as long as the reserves last. “Your past is my future!” aptly stated Kuwaiti artist Monira Al Qadiri during a visit to the Ruhr region. Oil as a raw material and the history and conditions of its extraction crop up again and again in Al Qadiri's works. She also deals with the patriarchal structures of her country of origin and the pop-cultural imports that shaped her childhood in her films, sculptures, walk-in installations and performances. In this Wandersalon at the Deutsche Bergbaumuseum in Bochum, she will present some of these works and talk about her artistic practice.

Monira Al Qadiri was born in Senegal in 1984, grew up in Kuwait and studied in Japan. After stations in Lebanon and Amsterdam, she now lives and works in Berlin.

In cooperation with Deutsche Bergbaumuseum Bochum.