Concrete with pigment
Size: 23.8 x 16.5 x 2.3 cm
Variable edition of 20, accompanied by a signed and numbered certificate
As these editions are variable, there may be colour variances due to the pigmentation process. These variations are integral to the work.
Please note that this edition is currently in production, and will be ready in approximately 3-4 weeks.
About the work
Nour Jaouda has created a special edition entitled The iris grows on both sides of the fence, on the occasion of the exhibition ‘East of the Aldgate Pump’, part of the inaugural Backyard Biennial, 15 Jul – 6 Sep 2026.
Jaouda’s work with cement stems from her interest in the tension between urban and natural landscapes. Within The iris grows on both sides of the fence Jaouda brings together organic flowing forms from nature with geometric patterns of manmade architectural structures, exploring the tension between our internal and external landscapes. The natural elements tie to Jaouda’s examination of the notions of rootlessness and resilience, and plants’ capability to transcend borders, developing new roots as they grow. The concrete relief sculptural edition is embellished with delicate touches of purple that both reflect the hues of iris flowers and enhance the textural surface, bringing in Jaouda’s interest in the emotional and spiritual nature of colour.
Throughout her practice, Jaouda explores our spiritual relationship to landscape and memory, and how space holds and embodies memory, truth, and identity. Much of Jaouda’s work is built from textiles, which demands a slow, laborious and repetitive approach, whilst also being endlessly forgiving. Cement, however, Jaouda describes, demands immediacy, holding a contrasting sense of time. Once each mark is made, the cement dries, disallowing reshaping or deconstruction.
About the artist
Nour Jaouda (b.1997, Libya) lives and works between Cairo and London. Her large-scale dyed textile works draw on the forms of prayer mats found in her surroundings, incorporating both fabricated and found steel elements to weave together personal memory, material culture and social history.
Selected Exhibitions
Selected exhibitions include: Matters of time, Spike Island, Bristol, UK (2025); A Living Collection, The Hepworth Wakefield, West Yorkshire, UK (2025); An Uncommon Thread, Hauser & Wirth, Somerset, UK (2025); Visions of the World, The Wigam Collection, Museum Kampa, Prague, Czechia (2025); On Feeling, Approach Gallery, London, UK (2024); Stranieri Ovunque - Foreigners Everywhere, 60th International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, Italy (2024); Where, if not faraway, is my place?, Union Pacific Gallery, London, UK (2023); Social Fabric, FOLD Gallery, London, UK (2021); What Remains, Encounter Contemporary, Copeland Gallery, London, UK (2021); between the borderlines, The Emery Prize, Pembroke Art Gallery, Oxford, UK (2018).
Whitechapel Gallery editions are generously donated by the artists. All proceeds from the sale of these works directly support our exhibition and education programmes.
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£850.00
(Members £765.00)
