Empty Vessels & Desert Narratives

201 Eastbourne St East, Hastings

Empty Vessels: Matthew Galloway & Desert Narratives: Mohamed Sleiman Labat

Exploring the shifting political grounds of global food production, Empty Vessels and Desert Narratives is a dialogue between Aotearoa New Zealand artist Matthew Galloway and Sahrawi Western Saharan artist Mohamed Sleiman Labat. The two, who have had an ongoing correspondence since meeting in 2016, present different perspectives on Aotearoa’s reliance on phosphate rock from Western Sahara. Phosphate is mineral rock used to make fertiliser, partly fuelling Aotearoa’s high-performing agricultural industry. However, the resource is controlled by Morroco’s violent occupation of the region, which has displaced the Sahrawi people from their land.

In 2022, while living in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Galloway began recording the movement of ships carrying phosphate from the Western Sahara to the Otago Peninsula. These ships first dock in New Zealand shores at Ahuriri, Napier’s port, before moving south. In the gallery, Galloway has developed an installation tracing the movement of these ships, while also displaying 10 years of shipping data that seems to suggest that — in the face of growing public pressure over the ethics of this trade — New Zealand fertiliser company, Ravensdown, may be moving away from using phosphate from this region.

Also included is Desert Narratives, an experimental documentary film by Sleiman Labat. From on the ground in the Sahrawi refugee camps located in Algeria, the film looks at the story of phosphate and growing food in the desert, weaving together multiple narratives about sand particles, plants, human and mineral displacement. The film explores connections between ecological justice and indigenous ways of knowing and being in the world, challenging colonial and environmental violence in mineral extractions.

Matthew Galloway lives and works in Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington. His research-based practice employs the tools and methodologies of design in an editorial way, and often within a gallery context. This way of working emphasises design and publishing as an inherently political exercise.

Mohamed Sleiman Labat is a Sahrawi visual artist and a poet, based in the Sahrawi refugee camps in Algerian territory. He was born and raised in these camps. In 2016, after graduating from Batna University, Algeria, with a degree in English literature, Sleiman Labat returned to his community. Sleiman Labat has built a multipurpose community and artist studio space called Motif Art Studio in the Samara camp. The studio itself is built from discarded materials which Sleiman Labat has collected.

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When

Tue 12th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Wed 13th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Thu 14th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Fri 15th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sat 16th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sun 17th Dec 2023, 1:00pm

Mon 18th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Tue 19th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Wed 20th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Thu 21st Dec 2023, 10:00am

Fri 22nd Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sat 23rd Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sun 24th Dec 2023, 1:00pm

Wed 27th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Thu 28th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Fri 29th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sat 30th Dec 2023, 10:00am

Sun 31st Dec 2023, 1:00pm

Wed 3rd Jan 2024, 10:00am

Thu 4th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Fri 5th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sat 6th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sun 7th Jan 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 8th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Tue 9th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Wed 10th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Thu 11th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Fri 12th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sat 13th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sun 14th Jan 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 15th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Tue 16th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Wed 17th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Thu 18th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Fri 19th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sat 20th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sun 21st Jan 2024, 1:00pm

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Tue 23rd Jan 2024, 10:00am

Wed 24th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Thu 25th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Fri 26th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sat 27th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Sun 28th Jan 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 29th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Tue 30th Jan 2024, 10:00am

Wed 31st Jan 2024, 10:00am

Thu 1st Feb 2024, 10:00am

Fri 2nd Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sat 3rd Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sun 4th Feb 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 5th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Tue 6th Feb 2024, 10:00am

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Fri 9th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sat 10th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sun 11th Feb 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 12th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Tue 13th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Wed 14th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Thu 15th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Fri 16th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sat 17th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sun 18th Feb 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 19th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Tue 20th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Wed 21st Feb 2024, 10:00am

Thu 22nd Feb 2024, 10:00am

Fri 23rd Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sat 24th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Sun 25th Feb 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 26th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Tue 27th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Wed 28th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Thu 29th Feb 2024, 10:00am

Fri 1st Mar 2024, 10:00am

Sat 2nd Mar 2024, 10:00am

Sun 3rd Mar 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 4th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Tue 5th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Wed 6th Mar 2024, 10:00am

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Sun 10th Mar 2024, 1:00pm

Mon 11th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Tue 12th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Wed 13th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Thu 14th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Fri 15th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Sat 16th Mar 2024, 10:00am

Sun 17th Mar 2024, 1:00pm

Where

Hastings City Art Gallery, Hastings, Hawke's Bay / Gisborne

201 Eastbourne St East, Hastings