Spike Island presents Grey Unpleasant Land, a collaborative exhibition by artists Sophia Al-Maria and Lydia Ourahmane.

Grey Unpleasant Land examines the myth of England as a nation. Combining a range of media—including historical artefacts, speculative narratives, petitions to patrons and a deed of gift—Al-Maria and Ourahmane provide a unique lens through which to investigate the complex and often troubling nature of England’s cultural and historical landscape.

Produced over the course of two years, the exhibition addresses the elephant in the room. As immigrants to the UK, Al-Maria and Ourahmane delve into the “grey areas” of England’s narrative, critically re-examining the stories that have been told—and continue to be told—about origins and belonging.

Together through this ambitious exhibition, Al-Maria and Ourahmane address England’s cultural narratives and social frameworks, inviting audiences to consider the malleability of national identity and the ongoing debates surrounding Britain’s legacy as a nation.

SOPHIA AL-MARIA
Sophia Al-Maria is a London-based artist. Al-Maria has had recent solo exhibitions at Henry Art Gallery, Seattle; Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha; La Biennale di Venezia, Venice; LUMA Arles; Tate Britain, London, and numerous others. She is the author of three books: Sad Sack (Book Works, London, 2019 & 2023), Virgin with a Memory (Cornerhouse Publications, Manchester, 2014), and The Girl Who Fell to Earth (Harper Perennial, New York, 2012).

LYDIA OURAHMANE
Lydia Ourahmane is an artist based in Barcelona, London and Algiers. Ourahmane has had recent solo exhibitions at MACBA, Barcelona, SculptureCentre, New York; rhizome, Algiers; Kunsthalle Basel, Switzerland; S.M.A.K Ghent; Portikus, Frankfurt; De Appel, Amsterdam; Wattis Institute for Contemporary Arts, San Francisco and Chisenhale Gallery, London, among others. Her work was included in the 60th La Biennale di Venezia, 15th Gwangju Biennale, 34th Bienal de Sao Pãulo, New Museum Triennale and Manifesta 12.