Ndidi Dike: Rare Earth Rare Justice – A Contemporary Art Exhibition on Global Exploitation

This exhibition by London-based, British-Nigerian artist Ndidi Dike investigates the legacy of colonialism, post-colonialism, and global capitalism, focusing on the exploitation of natural resources in Africa. It features mixed-media works, sculptures, and installations that explore themes of absence, death, and mourning.

Ndidi Dike, an internationally recognized British-Nigerian sculptor and multidisciplinary artist, presents 'Rare Earth Rare Justice,' her first major institutional solo exhibition in Austria. The exhibition delves into the societal, political, and economic conditions shaped by colonialism, post-colonialism, migration, and global capitalism. Central to the exhibition is the continuous exploitation of the African continent's natural resources, particularly cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dike traces the responsibility of raw material industries for environmental damage, climate change, displacement, and resource conflicts, revealing how global technological demand is met through systemic violence and plunder. The exhibition unfolds as a large-scale installation structured by themes of absence, death, and mourning. A monumental sculpture of approximately 900 autopsy neck braces hangs from the ceiling, forming a rifle bullet shape before a large circular mirror. This piece evokes the deadly practices of raw material industries and historical slave ship cargo plans, referencing the brutal history of commodifying Black individuals. Rather than depicting violence directly, the work stimulates memory and imagination. Surrounding the central sculpture are artificial topographical landscapes in white, red, and blue. White signifies white supremacy, kaolin, and sand; red refers to the characteristic color of the soil in the artist's homeland in southeastern Nigeria; and blue relates to industrial and informal cobalt mining where young people, women, and children work under inhumane conditions. These colors also echo the national colors of countries in the Global North and China, deeply involved in global resource extraction, underscoring the political complicity involving multinational corporations, African elites, state actors, and international power structures. A sound installation fills the space with the relentless rhythm of money counting machines, creating a cold, repetitive, and unyielding pulse that represents financial systems operating remotely from their human and ecological costs. This mechanical sound aligns with the logic of extractive capitalism: continuous accumulation, calculation without accountability. Furthermore, a wheelchair within the installation, intricately woven from used bullet casings, symbolizes vulnerable, injured, or permanently damaged bodies. The transformation of bullet casings into textile-like material blurs distinctions between suffering and care, protection and injury, pointing to structural damage in countries, communities, and landscapes systematically depleted by the resource economy.

Information regarding tickets and related events, such as exhibition talks and publications, is available via links on the page, directing users to the Secession shop or specific event recordings. The page does not provide direct ticketing prices or booking instructions within the exhibition description itself, but implies that visitor access and related materials are managed through linked resources and museum offerings. Further details can be found via the 'tickets' link and related publication/event sections on the Secession website. Access to related events is also detailed with available recordings or future dates where applicable. The exhibition is noted as being developed in cooperation with other institutions, with further chapters planned in Stockholm and Warsaw in 2026 and 2027 respectively. The page notes that the exhibition is open from March 6 to May 31, 2026, and the Secession itself is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM, though it was closed on the day of access. For specific admission details and booking, users are directed to the 'tickets' link provided at the top of the page and within the exhibition details. Additional resources are available via the 'Shop' and 'Veranstaltungen' sections of the website, and related publications can be downloaded for free or purchased, with podcast episodes and recorded exhibition talks also accessible.