Glass, silica sand
180 x 55 x 30 cm
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection

Glass, colored blown glass, silica sand
70 x 80 x 15 cm
TBA21 Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary Collection


Kapwani Kiwanga, a French and Canadian artist living and working in Paris, studied anthropology and comparative religion at McGill University in Montreal and fine art at the Beaux-Arts de Paris. Drawing on her background in anthropology, Kiwanga creates art that is based on research, particularly focusing on themes of resistance against colonialism and examining power structures. Her work spans several mediums including film, sculpture, performance, and installation, employing both conceptual and architectural approaches.

The sculpture series “Hour Glass,” unveiled at the 59th Venice Biennale in 2022, and “Shifiting Sands” is a profound meditation on transformation, merging the traditional craft of hand-blown glass with an industrial material, fracking sand, which is the type of small, uniform particles of sand injected into rock formations along with water to fracture the rock in hydraulic fracking. This choice of materials is rooted in Kiwanga’s ongoing exploration of sand’s remarkable capacity for change, tracing its evolution from loose grains to the refined elegance of glass. This process of transformation, bridging the natural with the industrial, is pivotal to Kiwanga’s artistic narrative. Each work in the series involves fracking sand, a critical reflection on the intricate interplay between glass production and sand extraction. These sculptures preserve the essence of sand while simultaneously unveiling the environmental toll of sand mining, particularly for fracking—a controversial method used to extract oil and natural gas from the earth in a process that involves injecting high-pressure fluid into subterranean rocks to create new channels and release trapped fuel. The sand Kiwanga uses draws attention to the aggressive extraction practices that not only deplete sand resources but also contribute significantly to environmental degradation and climate change by facilitating fossil fuel consumption.

The use of silica sand, crucial for both glassmaking and fracking, underscores a disturbing trend of over-extraction that threatens to outstrip the natural replenishment rates of sand. This unsustainable trajectory hints at a future marked by a scarcity of this indispensable material, raising alarms about our environmental stewardship and the legacy we leave for future generations. In Kiwanga’s work, sand transcends its mundane materiality to embody the pressing environmental and political issues of our time. It becomes a symbol of the adverse effects of industrial activity, especially within the oil industry, and a poignant reminder of the climate crisis. Through her “Hour Glass” and “Shifting Sands” series, Kiwanga weaves together art and and a socio-political message, urging viewers to contemplate the deep-seated implications of our engagement with the natural world. Each sculpture serves as a call to action, pressing us to adopt sustainable practices and reevaluate our relationship with the earth. Kiwanga’s work is a stark warning: unless we change our course, we may find ourselves in a future stripped of the resources essential for our survival.