Serpentine Galleries

On January 25, 2020, the aerosolar sculpture Aerocene Pacha flew with a message written with the communities of Salinas Grandes in Jujuy, Argentina, written on its surface: “Water and Life are Worth More than Lithium.” This achievement marks the most sustainable flight in human history and one of the most important experiments in the history of aviation. Completed in solidarity with the 33 Indigenous communities in the Salinas Grandes region, the flight amplified their voices in unison against harmful lithium mining practices in northern Argentina.

In Senegal, Yene was traditionally a seaside town with many fishermen and farmers but has in recent years been troubled by coastal erosion and urbanisation. In conversation with the town’s community, Manthia Diawara explores how their lives contribute to the undermining of their shared environment.

Mixing found footage from Egyptian television, with footage of two dancers shot on the Wanstead Flats nature reserve in east London, Adham Faramawy's work considers the body’s relationship to ideas of ‘the land’, plant taxonomy, and ideas of roots/heritage. The film relates this exploration to the passing of the artists’ father during the pandemic, and their relationship, particularly their father’s strong affinity as an artist and musician with his falahi (rural, agricultural and working class) roots and his home town Toukh, north of Cairo.