Born 1985, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Lives and works in Kuwait City and San Juan, Puerto Rico

Alia Farid has become known in recent years for her elegant and thought-provoking installations and videos that bring together art, architecture and anthropology. Her practice has often focused on spiritual and infrastructural engagements with water — an acute political topic across the world, but especially in West Asia.

Operating as artistic readymades in the gallery space, In Lieu of What Was 2019 is a series of unpainted sabil (public drinking fountains) manufactured by a Kuwaiti plastics company. Each one takes the form of an oversized container that reflects changes in the storage of water in West Asia. The work speaks to the different ways people treat, transport and consume water — from respectfully carried sacred liquid to environmentally harmful disposable plastic containers. As people around the world face the rapid advancement of water scarcity, In Lieu of What Was asks which vessel will be the next technological innovation.