Brazilian artist Laura Lima is currently the subject of two major concurrent solo exhibitions in London. At Goodman Gallery, her show "Communal Nests for Windows, Balconies, Verandas, Gardens, and Forests" features woven, nest-like sculptures made from organic materials like jute and sisal, which she encourages collectors to install outdoors to be used by wildlife. Simultaneously, the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) is hosting "The Drawing Drawing," a career-spanning survey centered on a site-specific performance piece involving life models and artists on mechanized orbiting platforms.
These exhibitions highlight Lima’s career-long commitment to challenging the traditional "preciousness" of fine art and the rigid boundaries of the gallery space. By inviting animals to inhabit her sculptures and mechanizing the traditional life drawing class, Lima forces a reconsideration of authorship, value, and the relationship between art and the living world. The dual shows offer a rare, comprehensive look at her unconventional, multidisciplinary practice within a major global art hub.