(*1985, KW)
In Lieu of What Is, 2022
Fiberglass and polyester resin
Variable dimensions

In Lieu of What Is is a monumental installation of five larger-than-life vessels used to store and carry water–a globular lota, a jerrican, a juglet with a small lid, a now-ubiquitous PET-plastic water bottle, and a pitcher. Alia Farid’s versions are enormous but hollow and light, molded in lacquered fiberglass, colored like the desert sand and fabricated using the same method as the decorative casings for public drinking fountains that have become a distinctive feature of the urban landscape across the Arabian Gulf where the artist comes from. Over the past few years, Farid has been working with commercial fountain producers to develop constellations of these sculptures (sometimes casting copies from existing molds, sometimes creating her own) as a way to intertwine a centuries-old tradition of public drinking fountains with the reality of water desalination in the region–the lack of available fresh water being an ecological consequence of government policies and the activities of industries that have prioritized oil extraction above nearly all else.

Co-production  with Kunsthalle Basel
With the support of Commune de Cologny