Skip to main content
This image depicts a large, irregular-shaped sculpture made of dark, rough-textured material, possibly charred wood or a similar organic substance. The sculpture has an abstract, irregular form with many protruding elements. It is displayed on a raised platform in a spacious, gallery-like room with stone walls.
Exhibitions

Emii Alrai

Saturday 15 February – Sunday 15 June 2025

a sequence of darkening rooms emulate nightscapes and archaeological digs,

Opening Times

Tue – Sun: 10am-4.30pm

Mondays: Closed, except bank holidays

Galleries are open 10.30am – 4.30pm

Christmas Opening Hours
Christmas Eve: 10am – 3pm
Christmas Day: Closed
Boxing Day: Closed
27 – 29 Dec: Open as usual
New Years Eve: 10am – 3pm
New Years Day: Open as usual

About the
Exhibition

Emii Alrai weaves together ancient mythologies from the Middle East and oral histories from her own Iraqi heritage to create objects which imitate archaeological artefacts.

Responding to Compton Verney’s nationally important Naples Collection, this new commission by Alrai considers themes of volcanic eruption and geological rupture as metaphors for our times. Through a sequence of darkening rooms that emulate nightscapes and archaeological digs, the artist will dramatise the moment of discovery, just like the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun lit by a single match.

About
Emii Alrai

Emii Alrai (b.1993) is an artist, ex-museum registrar and writer. Alrai’s work investigates memory, critiques the western museological structure and explores the complexity of ruins. Working primarily in sculpture and installation, her work operates as large-scale realms built in relation to bodies of research concerning archaeology and the natural environments objects are excavated from.

This image focuses on a suspended, elongated sculptural form made of a vibrant, turquoise-colored material. The form has a smooth, sinuous shape and is displayed against a backdrop of a large, textured, cream-colored wall or surface. The lighting in the space creates dramatic shadows and highlights the sculptural element.
Emii Alrai The Courtship of Giants Installation view, Eastside Projects, Birmingham 2022 Photography by Stuart Whipps. Courtesy of Eastside Projects
This image shows a cavernous, expansive gallery space filled with large, irregularly-shaped rock formations or sculptures. The formations are primarily composed of a pale, beige-colored material with areas of darker, more textured surfaces. The gallery is illuminated by track lighting, creating dramatic shadows and highlights on the sculptural elements.
Zoom picture 1 of 6
This image shows a large, abstract sculpture made of what appears to be light blue-green patinated metal or bronze. The sculpture has an organic, flowing shape with multiple pointed protrusions. It is displayed in a large, industrial-style room with white walls and exposed ceiling beams.
Zoom picture 2 of 6
Zoom picture 3 of 6
This image focuses on a suspended, elongated sculptural form made of a vibrant, turquoise-colored material. The form has a smooth, sinuous shape and is displayed against a backdrop of a large, textured, cream-colored wall or surface. The lighting in the space creates dramatic shadows and highlights the sculptural element.
Zoom picture 4 of 6
This image presents a close-up view of one of the large, organic rock formations or sculptures in the gallery space. The surface of the sculpture is highly textured, with crevices, protrusions, and an overall weathered, erosive appearance. Several smaller, greenish-blue ceramic or glass objects are placed among the sculptural elements.
Zoom picture 5 of 6
Open the gallery to view all images

Emii Alrai previous work

6 images
This image depicts a large, irregular-shaped sculpture made of dark, rough-textured material, possibly charred wood or a similar organic substance. The sculpture has an abstract, irregular form with many protruding elements. It is displayed on a raised platform in a spacious, gallery-like room with stone walls.