Raja’a Khalid’s work explores material culture, luxury, and cultural signifiers in her practice spanning installation, sculpture, photography, and performance. Her particular focus lies on the Gulf region and the economic, cultural, and political developments it has undergone in recent years. Khalid investigates how the articulation of “culture” and the aesthetics of wealth and progress find their expression in motifs of power and in objects distributed in wellness, cars, and sports, among others. For AB6, Khalid creates a new work connecting the flags of the Athens football club Olympiacos FC with the woody Oud note in Axe Gold, emphasizing masculinity and dominance. The exhibition also comprises the piece uberNEON, a custom Lexus car cover made from Dri-fit tech fabric. The title refers both to the athletic fabric used here to potentially protect the expensive lacquer of a luxury vehicle from the sun and desert sand of Dubai, and to the Uber economy (defined by corporate commodity culture, reified labor, and conspicuous production) that underlies the experience of day-to-day life in contemporary urban centers.

#gulf #luxury #uber #olympiacos #smell #masculinity

photos: Nysos Vasilopoulos, 6th Athens Biennale 2018 ANTI