Brazilian artist Luana Vitra's installation practice combines elements of storytelling, adopted from her family and the region, with her interest in the physical, chemical and spiritual qualities of minerals. Vita grew up in Minas Gerais, a mining state in Brazil. For this work for Sharjah Biennial 16, Vitra thought about the possibilities of matter as well as the future of the minerals in Al Dhaid. In - + (2025), based on the relationship between magnetic poles, Vitra contemplates how ferrous metals fall in love, attract each other and move apart, and how a potential structure may arise from mineral desire. Inviting us to imagine a future devoid of mineral exploitation, she refutes the construct of the mineral kingdom as an arena to extract a sequence of products for financial gains. Instead, she proposes a deeper understanding of the way minerals exist in the world, as well as a mutually sustainable relationship between presences in the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. Watch this Artist In Focus to learn more. 

Subscribe to Sharjah Art Foundation's Youtube channel for more artist stories, exhibitions, and behind-the-scenes insights.

Director - Magdi Emad

Camera Operators - @ward helal, @shefeek_sha_nk, @alialfadly1  

Editor - Magdi Emad

Sound Design - @unnikrishnan.sb  

Production Manager - @dimzyb  

Assistant Director - @unnikrishnan.sb