Empire Dye is a publication created alongside the exhibition of Monira Al Qadiri at Kunstverein Göttingen, presenting a selection of the artist’s sculptures and video works. The exhibition reflects on the cultural and ecological consequences of the oil industry in the Gulf region, connecting oceanic imagery, the history of pearl diving, and speculative visions of the future. Through iridescent surfaces and symbolic color palettes—most notably violet, a color associated both with royalty and with the highest danger level in the oil industry—Al Qadiri creates poetic yet critical narratives about petro-culture, memory, and environmental transformation.
The publication offers an overview of key works from recent years and expands on the exhibition’s themes through images and contextual texts. Developed and designed in collaboration with Marius Land, the book translates the artist’s visual language into an editorial format, balancing imagery and text while giving space to the layered narratives behind the works.
Published by Kerber Verlag, the book serves both as documentation of the exhibition and as an independent publication that reflects the distinctive aesthetic and conceptual depth of Al Qadiri’s practice.
