The title of the exhibition Une chose est à une autre (A is to B) refers to an expression of analogical comparison that establishes relationships through iconic proportion – for example, “caviar is to food what a Rolls-Royce is to a car.” By deliberately leaving the sentence unfinished, Dias highlights her interest in the way human societies hierarchize material production through symbolic, social, and economic value systems.

Une chose est à une autre unveils three new bodies of work created for the exhibition. At its core are ten new hanging sculptures (Paradoxe 1–10 (2026)) made of heavy-duty lifting chains, to which the artist juxtaposes a variety of objects – precious and discarded, common and unique, functional, decorative, or ornamental.

The sculptures establish specific classifications: Fabergé-style ostrich eggs, car mirrors, a metal chair… Dias changes the functions of objects which become symbolic in the spirit of Charles Jenkins’s philosophy of Adhocism – an approach to use available items to solve specific problems, rather than relying on a preconceived and rigid system.

Paradoxe 7 consists of paint tubes “to be filled” and plays on the hierarchy of artistic genres (architecture, painting, sculpture). By altering the function of objects and combining elements of different status, Dias examines how value and status are transformed by context and questions the social organization of objects.

As in his previous works, Dias draws inspiration from history and revisits forms, media, and references. In Portrait (2026), a series of wall works, a precious stone set on silk satin is enclosed in an aluminum frame. A symbol of rarity and importance, the main subject of the work reflects the long history of portraiture and its social status within society.

Inventaire (2026) consists of photographs of the artist’s hands holding washers and other objects found in the street indexing encounters and « heureux hasard ». The photograph is in postcard format and resembles an old family photo, humorously highlighting the paradox of archiving discarded objects today.

Through all her productions and manipulations, Ligia Dias creates disruptive paradoxes that challenge conventional productions’ system and Ways of Seeing.