DIANA AL-HADID – HAMMER MUSEUM, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA

Sculptor Diana Al-Hadid constructs baroque architectural forms such as towers, labyrinths, and pipe organs that appear to be in a state of ruin. Using materials such as cardboard, plywood, plaster, and resin, Al-Hadid’s sculptures are informed by an array of influences, both eastern and western–ancient Biblical and mythological narratives, Arabic oral traditions, Gothic architecture, iconic western painting, Islamic ornamentation, and scientific advances in physics and astronomy. For her first solo museum exhibition, Al-Hadid will be making a new piece inspired by the Islamic astronomer and inventor Al-Jazari’s famous water clock built in 1206 and early Netherlandish Renaissance paintings.