Created over a 28-year period by Lubna Chowdhary, Metropolis was a multi-object work of 1000 handmade clay sculptures that celebrated architectural ornamentation and took inspiration from the concept of ‘horror vacui’, or the fear of empty space, in Middle Eastern and South Asian art and design.

Metropolis was a multi-object work of 1000 handmade clay sculptures by Lubna Chowdhary that celebrated architectural ornamentation, inspired by the concept of ‘horror vacui’, or the fear of empty space, in Middle Eastern and South Asian art and design.

Brightly coloured three-dimensional edifices merge to form configurations that resemble lively cityscapes that can’t be associated with any one locale. Abstracting towers, monuments and other less definable forms, the installation charts the material culture of our urban environment, reflecting on the complexity of the man-made world and human production. Metropolis draws on memories of cities, anthropological collections, as well as notions of the historical and the current, the handmade and the industrial, and the vernacular and the ubiquitous.

Metropolis was created over a 28-year period. Chowdhary began the work in 1991 and continued to build on it over time, completing the project in 2019.

About Art Jameel

Jameel Arts Centre is an independent institution dedicated to exhibiting contemporary art to the public and engaging communities through learning, research and commissions. Founded and supported by Art Jameel, the Jameel is located in Jaddaf Waterfront, Dubai.

About Lubna Chowdhary

Lubna Chowdhary creates sculptural objects and site-specific artworks, working primarily in the field of ceramics. She subverts the traditional context and utility of her chosen medium to address a longstanding preoccupation with urbanisation and material culture in her art. Shaped tiles, sculptural objects, and spatial installations created in ceramic constitute a distinctive oeuvre that bridges the disciplines of architecture, craft, design, sculpture and painting.