ANNOUNCEMENTS
aRT BASEL 2023
PILAR CORRIAS | BASEL, SWITZERLAND
June 13 — 18, 2023
Pilar Corrias is pleased to participate in Art Basel 2023.
At booth R3 the gallery will present a selection of new and recent works by Koo Jeong A, Ragna Bley, Peppi Bottrop, Ulla von Brandenburg, Ian Cheng, Cui Jie, Keren Cytter, Gerasimos Floratos, Sophie von Hellermann, Tomashi Jackson, Helen Johnson, Hayv Kahraman, Mary Reid Kelley, Kat Lyons, Tala Madani, Manuel Mathieu, Gisela McDaniel, Sofia Mitsola, Sabine Moritz, Elizabeth Neel, Philippe Parreno, Mary Ramsden, Rachel Rose, Christina Quarles, Tschabalala Self, Shahzia Sikander, Rirkrit Tiravanija, Lina Iris Viktor and Vivien Zhang.
THE DARK CONTINENT: STORY-MAP tO ANOTHER PLACE
Adjoa Armah on Lina Iris Viktor
March 22 2023
sOMETHING CURATED
ON THE LIBYAN SIBYL & BEAUTY AS A TOOL FOR TRUTH
Interview by Hannah Hutchings-Georgiou
March 21 2023
Lina Iris Viktor is a British Liberian multidisciplinary artist who works between Italy and the UK. Her work weaves together performance, photography, painting, water-gilding and sculpture to create rich, lavish works featuring mythical and majestic looking female figures. Through these sensuous and visually loaded works, pattern becomes a ‘pre-verbal language connecting to that which is already encoded within us’ and beauty conveys truths that both comment on and transcend the socio-political.
[Opening Excerpt]
LET THE SUNSHINE IN
PILAR CORRIAS | GROUP EXHIBITION
January 12 —- February 18, 2023
Pilar Corrias is pleased to present a group exhibition of works by Ann Craven, Cui Jie, Freya Douglas-Morris, Sophie von Hellermann, Hayv Kahraman, Kat Lyons, Tala Madani, Manuel Mathieu, Sofia Mitsola, Sabine Moritz, Philippe Parreno, Mary Ramsden, Rachel Rose, Shahzia Sikander, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and Lina Iris Viktor and Vivien Zhang.
While the dark, frosty days of January can be an eerie harbinger of the extremes to come, they are also a moment for reflection and new beginnings. Borne from conversations amongst the exhibition’s artists about the current state of affairs, Let The Sunshine In brings together propositions by a group of contemporary artists that reconsider the uncertainties, and the possibilities, of our future.
LINA IRIS VIKTOR JOINS PILAR CORRIAS
PILAR CORRIAS
December 14, 2022
Pilar Corrias is thrilled to announce representation of Lina Iris Viktor.
Lina Iris Viktor is a Liberian-British multidisciplinary artist who lives and works between Italy and the UK. Interweaving disparate materials, methods and visual lexicons associated with contemporary and ancient art forms, Viktor authors an idiosyncratic mythology that divines future imaginaries. Her synthesis of painting, sculpture, performance, photography and water gilding with 24-carat gold produces a charged materiality that at once addresses philosophical ideas of the finite and the infinite, the microcosm and macrocosm, evanescence and eternity, whilst provoking sociopolitical and historical preconceptions of ‘blackness’ and its universal implications.
Most recently, Lina participated in In The Black Fantastic at the Hayward Gallery (2022), and a selection of the artist’s work will be presented in Let The Sunshine In, a forthcoming group show at Pilar Corrias, Eastcastle Street and Savile Row, in January 2023.
IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC
KUNSTHAL ROTTERDAM
November 19, 2022 —— April 9, 2023
In the Black Fantastic presents an exciting mix of painting, photography, video, sculpture, and installations. The exhibition includes Nick Cave’s legendary Soundsuits, works from the Watery Ecstatic series by Ellen Gallagher, combining myth and the history of the trans- Atlantic slave trade, and Wangechi Mutu’s compelling video work The End of eating Everything, depicting the monstrous nature of mass consumption. The artists reshape stories from the past and think about what the future might look like. At the same time they are dealing with the societal challenges of the present. Chris Ofili, for example, created a new version of Homer’s Odyssey featuring a Black Odysseus. The artist Hew Locke encourages you to look at commemorative statues in a different way: his equestrian statues seem to have escaped from a dystopian landscape. And in her multi-layered series of portraits, Lina Iris Viktor combines influences from, among other things, classical mythology, West-African textiles, and Aboriginal painting.
The writer and curator Ekow Eshun brings together two generations of artists in this exhibition: Nick Cave, Sedrick Chisom, Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Lina Iris Viktor, and Kara Walker.
‘In the Black Fantastic’ is realised in collaboration with Hayward Gallery in London.
PARIS+ PAR ART BASEL
LGDR
October 19 —— 23 2022
For the debut of Paris+, LGDR will present a selection of exceptional contemporary and historical works of art, with an emphasis on sculpture, in a booth that reflects the passions and areas of expertise of the gallery’s four founding partners—Dominique Lévy, Brett Gorvy, Amalia Dayan, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn.
LGDR’s booth (B15) has been designed by acclaimed Belgian architect and designer Olivier Dwek of Olivier Dwek Architectures to showcase the dialogues and synergies conjured in juxtapositions of monumental sculptures and large-scale paintings and works on paper. A sculptural gesture itself, the booth’s curved walls create a shell-like interior to encompass the works on view by Etel Adnan, Alexander Calder, Enrico Castellani, Francesco Clemente, Niki de Saint Phalle, Lynne Mapp Drexler, Lucio Fontana, Diego Giacometti, Jenna Gribbon, Donald Judd, Yves Klein, Amani Lewis, Brice Marden, Fausto Melotti, Marilyn Minter, Carol Rama, Martial Raysse, Pierre Soulages, Pat Steir, Elaine Sturtevant, Tu Hongtao, Günther Uecker, Lina Iris Viktor, and Zao Wou-Ki.
LGDR WELCOMES LINA IRIS VIKTOR
LGDR
September 13, 2022
We are delighted to announce that LGDR is now working with Liberian-British multidisciplinary artist Lina Iris Viktor.
In London, Viktor’s work is on currently on view in the gallery’s exhibition Rite of Passage: Lina Iris Viktor with César, Louise Bourgeois, Louise Nevelson, and Yves Klein through October 29, 2022, and in the group exhibition In the Black Fantastic at the Hayward Gallery through September 18, 2022.
Viktor’s first solo exhibition with LGDR will debut in Paris in 2023.
ARTIST INTERVIEW: LINA IRIS VIKTOR
HAYWARD GALLERY
August 10, 2022
Mapping occupies a significant place within artist Lina Iris Viktor’s series ’A Haven. A Hell. A Dream Deferred’, which draws on ties between the Southern US city of New Orleans and the resettlement of freed slaves in West Africa, particularly within Liberia. In Viktor’s 2018 work, Eleventh, an American Colonization Society map of tribal areas in what is now Liberia are highlighted in gold. The depiction of the map serves to highlight how the land’s established population was disregarded in order to facilitate the creation of Liberia.
In this video Viktor talks us through these works, as well as exploring the notion of ‘the Black Fantastic’, and the way in which the exhibition has connected a group of individual artists.
THE NEW YORK TIMES
STEPPING INTO THE EXPANSIVE WORLDS OF BLACK IMAGINATION
August 4, 2022
New York Times story on ‘In the Black Fantastic’.
In Print on Sunday Edition —— 7th August 2022.
+ READ FULL ARTICLE HERE
THE ART NEWSPAPER
A BRUSH WITH . . . LINA IRIS VIKTOR
August 3, 2022
In the first episode of the new series of A brush with... Ben Luke talks to Lina Iris Viktor about her influences—including writers, film-makers, musicians, and, of course, other artists—-— and the cultural experiences that have shaped her life and work.
+ LISTEN TO “A BRUSH WITH . . . LINA IRIS VIKTOR”
IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC
THE SOUTHBANK CENTRE | PUBLIC ART INSTALLATION
June 29, 2022 —— September 4, 2022
Lina Iris Viktor’s ‘Syzygy’ is one of the artworks reproduced on the outside of the Royal Festival Hall to accompany The Hayward exhibition ‘In the Black Fantastic’
curated by Ekow Eshun.
IN THE BLACK FANTASTIC
HAYWARD GALLERY
June 29, 2022 —- September 18, 2022
𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤, the UK’s first major exhibition dedicated to the work of Black artists who use fantastical elements to address racial injustice and explore alternative realities.
Myth, science fiction, spiritual traditions and the legacy of Afrofuturism are all sampled, reimagined and recontextualised in 𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤.
Encompassing painting, photography, video, sculpture and mixed-media installations, the exhibition creates immersive aesthetic experiences that bring the viewer into a new environment somewhere between the real world and a multiplicity of imagined ones. While some artists disrupt our understanding of the past, others invite us to imagine fantastical futures. In this exhibition, fantasy becomes a zone of creative and cultural liberation and a means of addressing racism and social injustice by conjuring new ways of being in the world.
𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘍𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 is curated by Ekow Eshun and features the artists Nick Cave, Sedrick Chisom, Ellen Gallagher, Hew Locke, Wangechi Mutu, Rashaad Newsome, Chris Ofili, Tabita Rezaire, Cauleen Smith, Lina Iris Viktor and Kara Walker.
The exhibition will tour to Kunsthal Rotterdam, Netherlands 19 November 2022 - 9 April 2023
dIOR LADY ART | SIXTH EDITION
LINA IRIS VIKTOR REINVENTS THE LADY DIOR BAG
December 2021
As one of the twelve international names taking part in the sixth edition of Dior Lady Art, the British—Liberian conceptual artist, painter and performer Lina Iris Viktor reinvents the Lady Dior bag, which she renamed “Constellations” after an eponymous work. Earth and sky combine as subtly lush landscapes in leather are illuminated with handmade gold—finish metal elements in keeping with the artist’s signature gilding technique. Evoking world cultures with rich histories of sacred rites, these precious talismans appear on four different versions of the iconic bag in black, blue, or green featuring matte lettered charms.
a limited edition of 100 bags across four sizes available exclusively at Dior.
Video & Image courtesy of Dior.
bRITISH BOOK AWARDS 2021
SOME ARE BORN TO ENDLESS NIGHT —- DARK MATTER | AUTOGRAPH ABP
November 2021
The Monograph ‘Some Are Born to Endless Night — Dark Matter’, published to accompany Lina Iris Viktor’s critically acclaimed exhibition by the same title (2019/20), has won the 2021 British Book Awards in the Exhibition Catalogue category.
Edited by curator Renée Mussai, the monograph accompanied Lina Iris Viktor’s solo exhibition at Autograph in 2019/20, and was published in a limited run of 750 copies in 2020. ‘Some Are Born to Endless Night — Dark Matter’ is a beautifully produced, deluxe artist book with cloth cover, gilded page edges, embossed lettering in gold foil, and gloss varnished black-on-black endpapers. The book’s design reflects the artists’s intricate, labyrinthine patterns, her playful emphasis on different tonalities and densities of black, and ritualistic use of 24-karat gold.
+ VIEW BRITISH BOOK AWARDS | + VIEW MONOGRAPH
+ VIEW AUTOGRAPH EXHIBITION GALLERY
EKSTASIS | EDITION OF 11
AVANT ARTE
October 2021
Lina Iris Viktor has worked with Avant Arte to create a sculpture titled ‘Ekstasis’, 2021.
‘Ekstasis’ is an edition of 11 volcanic rock and bronze sculptures with black and gold detailing across the body, each standing at 31cm tall. The black volcanic rock translates the deep blacks found throughout her paintings into sculptural form, while the gold details reference a range of iconographies from Central and West Africa — connecting the work to the spiritual value the material once held — “modernity has devalued gold to a commodity, but previously it was heralded for its spiritual value."
AFRICAN ARTISTS FROM 1821 TO NOW
PHAIDON
October 2021
Lina Iris Viktor is featured in the new Phaidon book titled ‘African Artists from 1821 —- Now’, a groundbreaking A-Z survey of the work of over 300 modern and contemporary artists born or based in Africa.
Modern and Contemporary African art is at the forefront of the current curatorial and collector movement in today’s art scene. This groundbreaking new book, created in collaboration with a prestigious global advisory board, represents the most substantial appraisal of contemporary artists born or based in Africa available. Features the work of more than 300 artists, including El Anatsui, Marlene Dumas, David Goldblatt, Lubaina Himid, William Kentridge, Julie Mehretu, Wangechi Mutu, and Robin Rhode, as well as lesser-known names from across Africa, with stunning and surprising examples of their art paired with insightful texts that demonstrate their contribution to the painting, sculpture, installation, photography, moving image, and performance art.
INSTITUTIONAL ACQUISITION
NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART | PERMANENT COLLECTION
September 2021
Constellations IX SE, 2021
56 × 40 in / 142.2 × 101.6 cm
North Carolina Museum of Art have acquired Constellations IX SE as a part of their permanent collection.
eLEPHANT MAGAZINE
ISSUE 44 —— COVER ARTWORK
Autumn 2020
The Liberian-British artist’s complex painting Fourth features on the cover of our brand-new Autumn issue. She talks to Holly Black about ancient Greek oracles, colonisation, and her use of pure black paint as a thing of beauty. —— ELEPHANT MAGAZINE
AFRICA STATE OF MIND
BOOK COVER ARTWORK
2020
The work ‘Eighth’, 2018 has been featured as the cover artwork of Ekow Eshun’s book ‘Africa State of Mind’ (Thames & Hudson) on the French edition titled ‘Africa 21e Siécle’ (Editions Textuel), and the Italian edition titled ‘L’Africa Del XXI Secolo (Einaudi).
+ Africa 21e Siécle | Textuel Editions
+ L’Africa Del XXI Secolo | Einaudi
INSTITUTIONAL ACQUISITION
AUTOGRAPH ABP + SPELMAN COLLEGE MUSEUM OF FINE ART | PERMANENT COLLECTION
2019 | 2020
I. After the Long Sleep we now Wake . . . , 2019
Dark Testament
11 x 13.8 in | 27.9 x 35.1 cm
Autograph ABP (London) and Spelman College Museum of Fine art (Atlanta) have respectively acquired I. After the Long Sleep we now Wake . . ., 2019; II. Our Re-memories — sheer acts of Rebellion., 2019; and III. For a time we hid from ourselves. Our Dark Testament., 2019; as a part of their permanent collections.
The triptych series titled ‘Dark Testament’ were created exclusively for Lina Iris Viktor’s solo exhibition ‘Some Are Born to Endless Night —- Dark Matter’ that debuted at Autograph.
HARPERS BAZAAR | ART
Women in Art Issue —— COVER ARTWORK
Autumn 2019
INSTITUTIONAL ACQUISITION
HESSEL MUSEUM OF ART | PERMANENT COLLECTION
2019
Syzygy, 2015
40 x 52 in. / 101.6 x 132.08 cm.
The Hessel Museum of Art (New York) have acquired Syzygy, 2015; XXV. We once sought refuge there., 2019; XXXI. Buckled beneath the weight of Glory’s Judgement. We ate in the Sin., 2019; and, XXXIV. Yet, we recall when you would Call me by my Name., 2019; as a part of their permanent collection.
THE ARTSY VANGUARD
PRESENTED IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DIOR
April 2018
The Artsy Vanguard is a new, annual list of the most influential talents shaping the future of contemporary art practice. Selected by Artsy’s team of editors —— with insight from a global group of leading collectors, curators, and other influential members of the art world—the 50 featured artists range in age from 23 to 97 and hail from 18 countries; they create work that spans across media and addresses wide-ranging subject matter. Each, however, is reaching a crucial new stage in her or his career: whether that’s gaining representation by an influential gallery, landing their first group show at a museum, or finally seeing their career fêted with a retrospective at a major institution.
INSTITUTIONAL ACQUISITION
SMITHSONIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART | PERMANENT COLLECTION
2018
Constellations II se, 2017
33.5 × 24 in / 85.1 × 61 cm
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (Washington D.C.) received a donation of Constellations II SE into their permanent collection.
THE ARMORY SHOW
THE BLACK ARK | SOLO PRESENTATION
March 2018
Mariane Ibrahim Gallery is delighted to mark its debut in the Gallery section of the Armory show, with a solo presentation of new works from the British Liberian artist Lina Iris Viktor. A continuation of the artist's Constellations series - V, VI, and VII - will be revealed for the first time, alongside two new figurative paintings.
Breaking with conventional and traditional standards (white and opaque), Viktor’s solo booth is black and latticed. Titled The Black Ark, the site-specific installation unites artistic, design and architectural practice to explore notions of race, history, ownership and discovery. Referring to both marishibya veils and the fishnets of Liberian fisherman, the confined yet revealing space symbolically recaptures lost narratives, existing before the formation of artificial nations.
INSTITUTIONAL ACQUISITION
CROCKER MUSEUM OF FINE ART | PERMANENT COLLECTION
2017
XIX. Came the Devil so shrewd in all his ways., 2017
Dark Continent Series
8.5 x 10.2 in. / 21.6 x 25.9 cm
Crocker Museum of Fine Art (California) have acquired XIX. Came the Devil so shrewd in all his ways as a part of their permanent collection.