Salwa Aleryani

The sculptures and installations by Salwa Aleryani, born 1982 in Yemen, prompt a vast range of associations in the viewer. Her works are evocative of arte povera, then again of American minimal art, but defy any categorisation. The artist places strong emphasis on the material that is of fundamental importance to her. In general, she uses basic everyday materials and devices available in any hardware store, thus conjuring up an aura of domestic DIY. Although the shapes she creates remain essentially abstract, they nevertheless trigger memories of streets, buildings, cities - situations we encounter in public places day in, day out. By intentionally giving her works an imperfect, unfinished look, Aleryani refers to the production process and at the same time to the decay of all things. Does the result satisfy expectations, will it last? Even if her works inevitably seem reminiscent of the war-ridden towns of her native country, this is merely suggested; it never becomes specific. Aleryani provides no direct clues and ultimately creates universally valid images.