Sandra Poulson’s sculpture tells about their production

When Sandra Poulson grew up in Luanda, the capital of Angola, her father once told her in Portuguese: “Ester Quarto Parece umarepública!” The phrase translated as “This bedroom looks like a republic!” was her indirect order to clear the room and somehow compares the messy space to national construction and political obstacles.

Poulson wouldn’t consider such phrases when he was young. Until recently, she didn’t think too much about it. “This sentence was recorded sometime in my post,” she said. “I think I just remembered it at some point, and when I was studying semiotics propaganda distribution, I ran into it again.”

Now, the phrase is the title of her first museum exhibition at MoMA PS1 in New York until October 6. The exhibition features sculptures designed to meditate on how everyday objects are full of social and political significance, whether immediately apparent or not.

IGreja Universal Do Reino deus (2024), here is a sculpture made of Oregon Pine, veneer plywood, chip boards and bedside tables, and contains a T-shirt with the word “universal”. The work has provided commentary on the influence of Angola’s powerful mega-chapels, such as the work, with its origins in Brazilian infrastructure, including TV channels and materials such as T-shirts and hats, which originated in Brazil, is free.

“I’m interested in these physical things, even if they seem to be gifts, actually kind of like a Trojan horse. There’s a level of contracts there, a level of self-evident agreement,” Poulson also lives and works in Luanda and London. Artnews. “And I think it’s very important to look at the EU and political parties, not justify the motivation, the ability to shape, intervene and enter the religious organization. [homes] A little uninvited. ”

Poulson, 30, has spent part of the past year thinking about wood, especially the bed she sees, made by young people outside the Kikolo Market in Luanda. On the weekend, Poulson noticed people getting rid of furniture on the streets and then collected by local councils. She said she was interested because she did not have her own furniture when she moved to the Netherlands in late 2024. Around the same time, she met an archive in Amsterdam that contained samples of Angora wood mentioned by wealthy Dutch people. These samples were used when ordering trees to be cut down in exploited territories (mainly Africa and South America); despite the wood from abroad, they were eliminated as Dutch.

All of this history made Poulson reflect on the wood that might have come from Angola and reminded her of her own history in that country. “In my work, there are many microscopic pronouns, pronouns or knowledge to some extent largely.”

The PS1 work was originally produced for the 2025 edition of the Apartment London Gallery Exchange Program and was hosted by Sadie Coles. The works were commissioned by Jahmek Contemporary Art, a gallery located in Lulanda that has been bringing Poulson’s work to Fairs since 2020, and this form of exposure is key to bringing Poulson’s work to international audiences. Costa Rica’s Elena Ketelsen González’s New York Assistant Curator at PS1, the organizer of the Poulson Show was there, highly rated Hope as a practicethe device displayed by Jahmek on the 2021 edition of Arco Madrid. The work takes the form of green monolithic chairs, some of which seem to collapse from one another in the corners.

Gonzalez told Artnewspraise Poulson for “the interest in things that are truly about everyday life but hidden in these objects is all these symbols and material history”. This information can help Pulson’s audience “understand the political and social history behind these objects and the stories they tell.”

Poulson’s big break has been at events like the Art Fair and the Venice Biennale, with the previous edition including the artist’s work. However, Pulson’s practice emphasizes extensive research, which also leads her works to transcend the art world. She exhibits at the British Pavilion at the 2023 Venice Architecture Biennale sabãoAzuleáguathe device is partially made of blue soap and water from Angora. Dust as an unexpected giftA device that highlights the use of dust has been discovered in the 2023 Sharjah construction three years.

“I don’t think Sandra has any limitations,” said Mehak Vieira, co-founder of Jahmek Contemporary Art, representing Poulson since 2021 Artnews. “She’s very willing to try it out and she’s super hard, so she always wants to try different materials. And I think it’s rare among artists.”

Vieira and Poulson met in the front space of the gallery in 2019. Already seen the artist’s work online, Vieira asked Poulson if she wanted to work with her. Poulson, who was not even 25 years old at the time, had a future, and her work was at the Lagos Biennale. But she said she needed more time before the partnership was formed: She still earned her undergraduate degree from the Fashion Printing School in Central St. Martins, London. (The two formalized their business relationship a few months after Poulson graduated at the end of 2020.)

Poulson’s career may be up, but PS1 curator González said that even though she is talking to a wider audience, the artist hasn’t simplified her tricky subjects. “She is not a reactionary artist,” Gonzalez said. “She has invested in a deep history, so I want people to see it.” [her work]. It attracts you, so I hope people can also study some of their history on their own. ”

Pulson is still investigating some of her own history. She talks with it Artnews When she prepares to showcase her new work through Rijksakademie’s Open Studios program, she calls it a work on the PS1 show. In the exhibition audio guide, she talks about Cabinda Dream (2024), it is made from the discovered veneer plywood bed frame, chip board and medium density fiberboard. Poulson placed the EU logo on the headboard of the bed frame, and Poulson bought an expensive bed from a diplomatic couple in the United States. This work tells the topics of nationalism, conflict and the focus of Western governments and corporations in African affairs with Angola. The title of the work is a reference to Angola and its history. (Cabinda questioned Angola’s claim to sovereignty. Cabinda was a protector of Angola, a colonized by Portugal and Portugal.)

Produce works like rusty steel landing work Cabinda Dream Speaking in an open studio is not easy, but she welcomes the challenge of making other works. Poulson wrote in an email that the new work “is an incredibly labor-intensive task that requires tremendous precision, energy and time.” She added that she was interested in what was considered “outdated”, describing steel plate work as “the largest single work I’ve ever done.” Despite the arduous scale, she said it was “I’m very much looking forward to continuing to work hard.”