Dima Srouji's debuts her sculptural work 'Maternal Exhumations Il' in New York, as part of 'Cantando Bajito: Testimonies' at The Ford Foundation Gallery. The exhibition features artists who explore forms of resistance in the wake of widespread violations of bodily autonomy and gender-based violence threatening to erode civic space and democratic values worldwide.
Srouji's work contemplates colonial violence toward feminized bodies. Her work honors the Palestinian women who were part of the workforce that excavated the land during American and British archeological missions and centers the women's deep connection to their land. Replicas of glass vessels and toilet flasks, used by women in cleansing and healing rituals, are placed in soil as though just excavated, an experiment in imagining the vessels' return to the ground.
'Cantando Bajito' is developed and brought together by curators Isis Awad, Roxana Fabius, Kobe Ko, Beya Othmani, Mindy Seu, and Susana Vargas Cervantes, with the advice of a larger curatorial group integrated by Maria Carri, Maria Catarina Duncan, Zasha Colah, and Marie Hélène Pereira.
'Cantando Bajito: Testimonies' is on view in New York until 4 May 2024.
