Limbs of the Lunar Disc

Worldbuilding with striking large-scale paintings and an immersive digital installation, Sarah Al Sarraj's exhibition immerses audiences in deep time, ancestry, and the persisting impact of imperial histories.

Predicated on the belief that our world was built in service of imperial violence, the show introduces new ontological systems rooted in land, spirit, and ancestry. Through large-scale paintings and immersive technologies, the exhibition’s narrative journeys explore environmental violence on a deep time scale, paying attention to the spiritual salience of the natural world.

The exhibition features Separated by Millennia (2024), a series of oil paintings on wooden panels, which imagines a temporally nomadic tribe using Arabian astronavigation and geolocation tools to manipulate time. These ideas expand in Al-Sarraj’s new immersive work, guiding audiences through time—from the distant future to the ancient past—following An Ancestor Simulation that investigates the long-term effects of imperial violence and liberation movements.

Engaging with Laura Nasrallah’s concept of the ancestral assemblage, the exhibition asks: How can we honour those who came before us while ensuring justice for those yet to come?

Limbs of the Lunar Disc: Stories from the Satellite Dish – Book Launch and Q&A

Sat 31 May, 5– 6.30pm

Join artist Sarah al-Sarraj and writer Dalia al-Dujaili in conversation with Jessica El Mal to celebrate the launch of Babylon, Albion (Saqi Books). Through memoir and visual art, the discussion will explore identity, migration, and mythologies rooted in the contemporary Iraqi diaspora, drawing from al-Sarraj’s exhibition Limbs of the Lunar Disc and al-Dujaili’s newly released book.

Dalia al-Dujaili is an Iraqi-British writer, editor, and producer based in London. She is the online editor of The British Journal of Photography, and her writing has appeared in The Guardian, Dazed, GQ, WePresent, Aperture, Atmos, It’s Nice That, Elephant Art, and more. She is the founder of The Road to Nowhere Magazine and was the Producer of Refugee Week in 2023.

Sarah al-Sarraj is a visual artist and cultural worker whose practice centres on worldbuilding through painting and immersive technologies. Her comic Sinkhole was selected for New Contemporaries 2022, and in 2023 she received Arts Council funding to develop new media work. She also serves on the board of the Inclusive Mosque Initiative.

We are dedicated to making this event accessible, if you would like to request a free ticket based on income, or have any access requirements please email jessica@arabbritishcentre.org.uk

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