LAURA LIMA

Over the past two decades, Lima has worked across multiple media including installation, cinema, textiles, and notions of performativity, always addressing philosophical aspects to offer an ongoing interrogation of conceptual frameworks people use to make sense of the world. Her practice also intimately engages with materiality, often inviting organic matter, degradation and the passage of time as agents in the formation and long-term existence of her works. The Johannesburg show follows Laura Lima: Balè Literal, a major solo exhibition held at MACBA in 2023 which will tour to MAM Rio de Janeiro in May 2025. A dedicated publication is due to be published later in the year by Cobogó.

The foundation for this body of work comes from Lima’s research on Brazilian folklore and spiritual imaginaries from the countryside, where she grew up. Her interest in the natural world and cultural syncretism histories is also represented materially through the use of dye extracted from plants and vegetables. The abstract fabric assemblages exist as floating structures suspended across the gallery space. Through the porosity of each work created by gaps in the woven structure, Lima encourages viewers to pause, move around and activate the performative energy that the show commands.

Press release courtesy Goodman Gallery