Lubna Chowdhary: Metropolis

“Metropolis” is a multi-object work of 1000 handmade clay sculptures that celebrate architectural ornamentation and take inspiration from the concept of ‘horror vacui’, or the fear of empty space, in Middle Eastern and South Asian art and design. Born in Tanzania to a family of Indian origin, raised in the United Kingdom, and with her extended family settled in Pakistan, Lubna Chowdhary attributes the incorporation and distortion of international design aesthetics in her practice to her diverse cultural background.

Metropolis was created over a 26-year period. Chowdhary began the work in 1991, and continued to build on it over time, completing the project in 2019.