Monira Al Qadiri - oil tanker visions at Berlinische Galerie and beyond
Published on 08/28/2026 at 14:24 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Monira Al Qadiri uses monumental oil tanker forms to anchor her current institutional presence. Her solo exhibition Hero at Berlinische Galerie in Berlin runs from July 11, 2025 to August 17, 2026, as confirmed by the museum's 2026 exhibition overview PDF and the artist's own show listing. Berlinische Galerie exhibition overview 2026
Oil tanker exhibition in Berlin
The exhibition Hero occupies Berlinische Galerie from July 11, 2025 through August 17, 2026, a notably long run for a single-artist installation project. The overview document states that the show focuses on Al Qadiri's exploration of the sociocultural, environmental and political dimensions of the global oil industry through sculpture, video and painting.
In the exhibition, the oil tanker functions as a recurring motif and symbol. The museum text describes it as a gigantic means of transportation and a marker of power-political interests, global inequality and ecological crises, framing the works within debates on consumer capitalism and the toxic legacy of fossil fuel extraction.
Parallel public art and Basel presence
Beyond Berlin, Monira Al Qadiri extends this discourse into public space in New York. Public Art Fund presents her large-scale sculpture First Sun at Central Park's Doris C. Freedman Plaza from September 3, 2025 through August 2, 2026, free and open to the public every day, as detailed in the Artguide listing and Public Art Fund announcement.
Her work also features in the exhibition Labouring Bodies at Museum Tinguely in Basel. The exhibitions listing notes that the show runs from June 10, 2026 to November 8, 2026, positioning Al Qadiri's practice within a broader inquiry into work, bodies and industry in a major Swiss institution.
All news and background on Monira Al Qadiri
Further reports on Monira Al Qadiri's exhibitions, public art projects and institutional collaborations are available in the AD HOC NEWS archive.
The work core around oil and memory
Monira Al Qadiri works primarily with sculpture, installation and video, often integrating sound and light to build immersive environments. In Hero, newly developed work groups revolve around industrial ship forms, reframed with iridescent surfaces and choreographed lighting to shift the tanker from infrastructure to speculative icon.
Her broader practice frequently connects Gulf region histories of oil extraction with personal and collective memory. Series across different shows use drill heads, petrochemical color palettes and mirrored surfaces to link economic cycles to intimate narratives, situating her work between political critique and melancholic futurism.
Where the artist stands now
Monira Al Qadiri's major institutional presence in 2026 hinges on Hero at Berlinische Galerie in Berlin, First Sun with Public Art Fund in New York and Labouring Bodies at Museum Tinguely in Basel, all on view within the current season.
Key facts on Monira Al Qadiri
- Artist: Monira Al Qadiri
- Medium / Genre: Sculpture and installation (conceptual)
- Born: 1983, Dakar, Senegal
- Place(s) of practice: Studio activity between Berlin and the Gulf region
- Active since: early 2000s, with international visibility consolidating after mid-2010s exhibitions
- Key work groups: Hero, First Sun, Drill Head, Alien Technology
- Current/last exhibition: Hero, Berlinische Galerie, Berlin, July 11, 2025 - August 17, 2026
- Major collections: Public Art Fund (New York, commission context), Museum Tinguely (Basel, exhibition context), regional institutional holdings in Europe and the Gulf
- Awards: Documented participation and recognitions in international biennials and institutional programs rather than headline prizes
- Next date: August 17, 2026, closing day of Hero at Berlinische Galerie, Berlin
Frequently asked questions about Monira Al Qadiri
Where is Monira Al Qadiri currently on view in Europe?
Her large solo exhibition Hero remains installed at Berlinische Galerie in Berlin until August 17, 2026, while her work also appears in Labouring Bodies at Museum Tinguely in Basel through November 8, 2026.
What defines the exhibition Hero at Berlinische Galerie?
Hero centers on large-scale installations and sculptural ensembles that use the oil tanker as a key motif, examining sociocultural, environmental and political aspects of the global oil industry through a mix of sculpture, video and painting.
Which public art project by Monira Al Qadiri is on view in New York?
Public Art Fund presents her sculpture First Sun at Central Park's Doris C. Freedman Plaza from September 3, 2025 to August 2, 2026, accessible outdoors and free of charge to visitors.
This article was produced with a.i. support and editorially reviewed. All statements without guarantee; auction results, exhibition dates and awards may change at short notice.
