Long Hanging Fruits (2022–ongoing)

Elia Nurvista

From ‘Long Hanging Fruits’, 2020–ongoing

The Landscape
2023
44 panels: print on fabric 280 x 150 cm each
Produced by Sharjah Art Foundation

The Evidence
2023
Video
5 minutes

The Found Objects
2023
4 wooden sculptures Dimensions variable

The Seed
2023
Dry air sculpture and palm oil seed Dimensions variable

The Frontier
2020
125-piece sculpture: underglaze and transparent glaze on stoneware clay Dimensions variable

Courtesy of the artist

Overview

Often through collaborative projects, Elia Nurvista reflects on concepts within food discourse related to globalisation, material extraction, exploitation and exotification.
Combining sculpture, found objects, screen-printed fabric panels and a video installation, ‘Long Hanging Fruits’ (2022–ongoing) unravels the devastating ecological consequences of the cultivation, production and consumption of palm oil in Indonesia, the world’s largest producer of the world’s most widely consumed vegetable oil. Indigenous to Africa, the plants were brought to Indonesia during the Dutch colonial era. Since their arrival, they have ruined the land and generated land conflicts among local communities. This work has been adapted for the Biennial and draws inspiration from its location at the Old Al Jubail Vegetable Market.