A Sounding of the Earth
03.10.25 – 06.04.26
Alia Farid
“... the exhibition offers us an opportunity to understand issues that few of us have been familiar with until now ...”
Kulturinformation
"...an incantation against the destructive force of oil."
Politiken
"When everyone is digging for money, it is a gentle archaeological gesture to transform the waste of industry into the treasures of the next millennium"
Kunstkritikk
The exhibition A Sounding of the Earth presents Kuwaiti-Puerto Rican artist Alia Farid, whose work explores the many intertwined past and present histories of the Arab Gulf. Linking ancient artefacts with today’s oil industry, Farid traces how ecosystems, material cultures and social structures are shaped by political forces and extractive economies, and how communities adapt and resist within these pressures.
Through large-scale sculpture and film Farid reimagines ancient protective forms and materials to address the ecological and social crises of our time. Her practice emerges from the Gulf’s landscapes, where cultural heritage is continually transformed, paralleling the pace of a rapidly changing region. In this context Farid juxtaposes artisanal and mass-produced objects, from blue faience with a 6,000-year history to polyester resin, a by-product of the 20th-century oil industry. By combining handmade and industrial objects with seemingly opposing meanings, Farid reflects a region where modernity remains deeply entangled with imperial legacies of fragmentation and exploitation.
Across the intimate shadowed space Farid presents two works linking the Gulf’s landscapes with political and spiritual narratives. Central to the exhibition is Amulets (2025), a two-part sculptural work inspired by traditions of protective symbols reimagined in materials derived from oil refinement. The piece contrasts the region’s spiritual heritage with the extractive forces that shape its present. Along the rear wall Chibayish (2022/2023) is a single-channel projection in two parts filmed in the southern Iraqi wetlands, a landscape under intense political and environmental pressure yet sustaining life and memory. Shifting between documentary and dreamlike imagery it captures daily life in the marshes today.
Together the works trace the entanglement of culture, ecology, and industry, inviting us to reflect on the way histories of extraction and resilience continue to shape the present.
Read more about the exhibition at The Glyptotek
Alia Farid, A Sounding of the Earth, 2025. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary, 2025 Photo: David Stjernholm
Alia Farid, A Sounding of the Earth, 2025. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary, 2025 Photo: David Stjernholm
Chibayish, 2022 UHD video, colour, sound; 24:42 min. Commissioned by the Whitney Museum of American Art for the Whitney Biennial 2022: Quiet As It’s Kept. Filmed in the southern marshlands of Iraq with Riad Bahrani, Jassim and Qassim Mohammed. Courtesy of the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Beirut / Hamburg. Chibayish, 2023 UHD video, colour, sound; 15:03 min. Produced by The Vega Foundation and Doha Film Institute. Filmed in the southern marshlands of Iraq with Riad and Fatima Bahrani. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary, 2025 Photo: David Stjernholm
Alia Farid (b. 1985, Kuwait City) lives and works in Kuwait and Puerto Rico. Working across film, installation and sculpture, she explores how borders shape realities, with the Arab Peninsula and the Caribbean as central frameworks for her artistic investigations. Farid’s practice grows out of long-term research into the displacement, exploitation, and militarization of local cultures, ecosystems and heritage in the shadow of colonial structures as well as political and corporate power.
Alia Farid (b. 1985, Kuwait City) lives and works in Kuwait and Puerto Rico. Working across film, installation and sculpture, she explores how borders shape realities, with the Arab Peninsula and the Caribbean as central frameworks for her artistic investigations. Farid’s practice grows out of long-term research into the displacement, exploitation, and militarization of local cultures, ecosystems and heritage in the shadow of colonial structures as well as political and corporate power.
The exhibition A Sounding of the Earth by Alia Farid includes a room with low lighting and audiovisual elements, which may feel sensory-intense or overwhelming for some visitors.
If you need a break or require assistance finding your way out, you are always welcome to speak to one of our art hosts. They are here to support you and ensure you have a safe and comfortable experience during your visit.
In our exhibitions, you will find our ‘In Fewer Words’ sections, where a brief text and illustrations help you learn more about the exhibition and the artists behind it. We are continuously working to make the information and the art more accessible.
A Sounding of the Earth – Alia Farid
The exhibition presents works by the artist Alia Farid, who is from Kuwait and Puerto Rico. With her art, she connects stories from the past with the present. Through her works, Farid shows how nature, culture, and living conditions are shaped by politics and economics, and how local communities respond to this.
Farid creates sculptures, films, and installations inspired by nature and history from the Arabian Gulf. She mixes ancient objects with new materials from the oil industry, which is affecting the region. For example, she combines 6,000-year-old ceramics with plastic made from oil.
The exhibition is a darkened space with two works. In the center hangs the work Amulets, which is inspired by traditional protective amulets. The sculpture is made from waste material from oil production. The video work Chibayish shows life in an area in Iraq with oil underground, which creates political and environmental pressure on the local population. If you were to build a large amulet yourself, what should it protect?
This exhibition is created in partnership between CC and the Glyptotek. It takes place simultaneously at both venues, each featuring different works.
You are always welcome to talk to an exhibition host if you have questions or would like to discuss the artworks or the exhibition.
Alia Farid, A Sounding of the Earth, 2025. Installation view at Copenhagen Contemporary, 2025 Photo: David Stjernholm
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