Balls, 2018
Jumana Manna

Manna, a sculptor and filmmaker, explores how power dynamics are articulated in relationships, often focusing on the body’s role within narratives of nationalism and the histories of place. Her work frequently employs a poetic and fragmented visual language to address biographical experiences, where individuals take center stage, and the body becomes a political tool reflecting broader global concerns. Her recent feature film, Wild Relatives (2018), exemplifies this approach by following the journey of a batch of seeds sent from Aleppo, Syria, to the Global Seed Vault on the Arctic island of Svalbard, and then back to Lebanon for replanting. This transaction reveals a web of lives and connections between these two distant points on Earth, capturing both the violence and melancholy of climate and war-induced disasters alongside resilient practices of care.

The title of Jumana Manna’s first solo exhibition in Switzerland, Adrenarchy at SALTS, plays on the term "Adrenarche," an early sexual maturation stage in some higher primates, which similarly occurs in humans before age 12. During this phase, the body undergoes dramatic changes in scent, oiliness, and overall physiology, driven by increased cortisol levels and culminating in what is commonly known as puberty. The title, a blend of “adrenaline” and “anarchy,” conveys the disruptive yet awe-inspiring moment of transformation, which Manna transposes into an installation combining anthropomorphic elements that embody ambiguity through their shape and form.

For this exhibition, Manna has created a new body of work comprising sculptures displayed over a sauna-inspired structure. These forms, evoking strength and sensuality, resemble archaeological fossils that appear to "sweat" with tension. Armpit (2018) and Armpit Shell (2018) continue her Muscle-Vase series, begun in 2014—a collection of androgynous, hollow vessels set against found furniture or minimalist structures. To the right, Torso II (2017), a white shell-like sculpture resembling a torso, leans against the wall. Accompanying the sculptures are stacks of towels that soften the otherwise rigid forms, as well as a tablet and smartphone playing short-looped animations, Balls and Flutter (both 2014). These comical and grotesque animations introduce a digital, tactile layer to the oversized bodies and surfaces, lingering in the space like forgotten objects and enhancing the overall uncanniness.

Jumana Manna’s sculptural work juxtaposes strength and fragility, with material solidity balanced by a deconstructed, almost vulnerable presence. This ambivalence also appears in the contrast between the delicate, candid beauty of everyday moments she captures in her films and the tension brought by her humor and critical edge in other installations. Manna’s artworks serve as surrogate vessels for a psychological journey that unfolds within the viewer.

Additionally, in the adjacent room, SALTS presents Manna’s Blessed, Blessed Oblivion (2010), her first film, inspired by Kenneth Anger’s Scorpio Rising (1963). This film weaves together a portrait of male thug culture in East Jerusalem, expressed through barbershops, auto shops, and bodybuilding.

Adrenarchy
Jumana Manna
Curated by Samuel Leuenberger
15 June—25 August 2018
Opening Reception: Thursday 14 June 2018, 6—10pm

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