Solar Angels & Lunar Lords- Exhibition by Lina Iris Viktor
Pilar Corrias Gallery- Conduit Street, London
June 5- July 13, 2024
Pilar Corrias is pleased to present Solar Angels & Lunar Lords, a solo exhibition of new paintings, works on paper and sculptures by Lina Iris Viktor. The exhibition runs in parallel with the artist’s first UK solo museum exhibition at the Sir John Soane’s Museum in London, on view from 10 July 2024–19 January 2025.
Viktor’s first solo show at Pilar Corrias sees the artist move away from narrative painting toward formal experimentation, while continuing to underscore the enduring importance of reframing the cultural associations of light and darkness. The exhibition’s title is borrowed from ancient astrology, referencing the proverbial war between the sun and moon during eclipses, and the transitory interplay of light and dark.
Within her work, Viktor embraces a rich tapestry of cultural references, symbolism and sensory experience, integrating forms from the West African visual cultures of the Ivory Coast, Ghana, and Benin. Ethically-sourced earthen materials – including silk and silkworm cocoons from India, natural raffia from Madagascar, 24-carat gold, banana yarn and bronze – come together in formations that reference traditional West African pottery, jewellery and woodwork, as well as Modernist African architecture.
Bridging geographical and historical boundaries, Viktor synthesises her ancestral heritage with contemporary modes of expression to foreground the political and aesthetic legacies of material extraction and exchange.
Image: Work by Lina Iris Viktor courtesy of Pilar Corrias.
More exhibition info can be found here.