María Magdalena Campos-Pons Inaugurates Efie Gallery's New Space with Middle East Debut

Efie Gallery opens a new 4,400 sq. ft. space in Alserkal Avenue, Dubai, with 'I Am Soil. My Tears Are Water', the first solo exhibition in the Middle East for Cuban-born artist María Magdalena Campos-Pons. Curated by Faridah Folawiyo, the show runs from 14 April to 25 May 2025. Campos-Pons reimagines her seminal work 'Sugar/Bittersweet' as a site-specific installation using 12 antique African spears sourced from UAE collections, mounted on West African stools and adorned with glass rings in brown, green, black, and sugar-infused glass. The work references Cuba's sugar plantations and the enslaved Black people and Chinese indentured laborers who worked them, now expanded to address mobility and interconnected histories across geographies. A sound map created with her partner Kamaal Malak enhances the atmosphere. Over 10 new paintings on paper, including two large-scale works, depict flora such as hibiscus, sugarcane, and guava leaves to examine diaspora and relativity. A catalogue includes contributions from Faridah Folawiyo, Odette Casamayor-Cisneros, Sabrina Moura, and Grace Aneiza Ali. Campos-Pons's work also appears at Efie Gallery's presentation at Art Dubai (18-20 April).