Maximillian William has announced the representation of Emii Alrai (b. 1993, Blackpool, UK). Alrai’s work spans material investigation in relation to memory, critique of the Western museological structure, and the complexity of ruins. Working primarily in sculpture and installation, her work operates as large-scale realms built about bodies of research which concern archaeology and the natural environments objects are excavated from. Weaving in oral histories inherited nostalgia, and the details of language to question the rigidity of Empire and the power of hierarchy to interpolate the static presence of history. Clay vessels, gypsum forms, and steel armatures punctuate the labyrinth-like spaces Alrai creates, mimicking museum dioramas and romanticised visions of the past.
Alrai’s solo exhibition ‘Lithics’ opens at Quench in Margate this Saturday 3rd February from 12pm, with an opening event from 5–8pm. Her first solo exhibition with the gallery will take place in July 2024.
