The historical and political meaning of material becomes more directly visible in Abbas’s Porters I series.
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Here, the artist uses ultramarine pigment—historically associated with sanctity and power—in portraits of porters working in the high-altitude regions of Pakistan.
The fact that the lapis lazuli stone, from which the pigment originates, enters circulation through the labor of workers living within the same geography creates a powerful inversion surrounding representation, value, and visibility. Through this gesture, Abbas not only questions historical hierarchies of representation, but also renders visible the often-invisible relationships between labor, class, geography, and the global circulation of materials.
Hamra Abbas
Porters I series, 2024
Lapis lazuli ultramarine pigment, museum glass framed
31 × 38.5 × 4 cm
Unique
@pilotgaleri
