June 21 – July 27, 2024

Miriam de Búrca: Noblesse Oblige

Cristea Roberts Gallery

In Person Viewing:

43 Pall Mall
London SW1Y 5JG

Online Viewing:

https://cristearoberts.com/exhibitions/261-miriam-de-burca-noblesse-oblige

Thursday, June 20th, 6 – 8PM

Noblesse Oblige features over 25 new works exploring the legacies of systems of coercion, exploitation and extraction in Europe and the US. It includes a series of new drawings about burial sites in Ireland designated for those considered ‘unsuitable’ for consecrated ground, and glass works made using an historic artform of etching into gilded gold leaf, depicting contemporary landscapes devastated by ecological disasters and recently toppled imperial statues. These themes raise questions about our need, as individuals and nations, to confront the consequences of unhindered institutional power that is now more destructive than ever.

Noblesse Oblige, a nineteenth-century French expression, refers to the obligation of the upper classes to perform duties that the disadvantaged could not. In a contemporary context, de Búrca uses this title to highlight the responsibility of those born into privilege to examine the lineage of their social and economic advantage over others, calling them to action to restore balance.