17 Jan 2022 0001 GMT+0000
Above/featured: Alicja Kwade exhibition, at the Berlinische Galerie. HL:X70.
In mid-2021, the world slowly climbs out of the worst of the pandemic. Later that autumn, I watch DW Culture’s Arts.21 feature on Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade whose work strikes a personal resonance. I have to go see her work and exhibition in person, but would it even be possible? My answer arrives six weeks later with a quick jump home to Berlin.
All of Kwade’s sculptural pieces in her exhibition, “In Abwesenheit” (In Absence)”, are “self-portraits.” But none of them show her face; the pieces aren’t necessarily simple, nor are they “selfies” characterized by the present vernacular. She is not physically present, and yet, every piece provides the visitor a glimpse into her mindset including questions she raises about the volatility of the human condition and about where we fit within a very large universe.
As former scientist, I love and recognize the influences on her art. She is clearly very interested in mathematics, physics, astrophysics, biology, genetics; but she’d be the first to admit she’d need multiple lives to completely fulfill all of her interests. The deconstruction of “self” into precise scientific elements is another way of expressing those (dreaded) “selfies” or self-portraits. I admire the clever play: it’s the breakdown into those elements that tell us what she is, and it’s the measured synthesis of those elements into the broad strokes of her sculptures that tell us who she is.
We’re all playing this game. Everyday things seem so important. But then you zoom out and realize that you’re standing with another billion [people] on a spinning sphere. With that perspective, you’re reminded to just be glad you’re here at all.– Alicia Kwade about her rooftop commission at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art: Artnet News, 16 April 2019.
Every sculpture is a kind of artist portrait revealing “true bits of her”; the exhibition was on display at Berlinische Galerie from autumn 2021 to early-spring (4 April) 2022.
Berlinische Galerie. HL:X70.
Press clippings, a few examples. Top: “My DNA fits on 314-thousand A4-sized pages.” Bottom: “On the pulse of the artist.”
This work illustrates 24 chemical elements which make up the human body. Small sealed glass capsules contain the following element in their simplest form (at room temperature and standard air pressure): oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, sodium, chlorine, magnesium, iron, fluorine, zinc, silicon, bromine, copper, selenium, manganese, iodine, nickel, molybdenum, chromium, and cobalt.
• AK: Selbstporträt: 2020, 2021.
Alicja Kwade, Self-portrait, 2020, Courtesy of the artist; KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin / London / Seoul / Decentraland. Photo by Roman März; image kindly supplied by Berlinische Galerie.
24 chemical elements, in ampules. HL:X70.
Translated “As the case may be reality (Alicja)” in English, this work is a display of the artist’s complete genome, printed on 314-thousand A4-sized pages. About 12-thousand of these pages are attached to the walls of the exhibition space, while the rest are stored within copper archive boxes on the floor. Many pages contain DNA nucleotide characters in bold font, emphasizing the uniqueness of the person the world knows as Alicja Kwade.
Printed pages of the artist’s genome appear on the walls and within the copper boxes. HL:X70.
Pinned to the walls of the exhibition space are printed pages of the artist’s genome. HL:X70.
Bronze columns appear throughout the exhibition space. The verticality of each column represents the actual height of people in close proximity/familiar to the artist. The shape of each column invites direct comparison with the double-helix structure of the human DNA molecule. Beginning with a single cast of a generic mobile phone, “phone casts” for each column are stacked vertically with the next cast rotated slightly to produce the familiar “twisty” structure.
• AK: Principium.
Alicja Kwade, Principium, 2020, Courtesy of the artist; KÖNIG GALERIE, Berlin / London / Seoul / Decentraland. Photo by Roman März; image kindly supplied by Berlinische Galerie.
The sculpture’s columns stand in the midst of the artist’s genome appearing on the walls and within the copper boxes. HL:X70.
In the middle of the exhibition is a large steel ring over 4 metres wide, upon which 24 loudspeakers are attached. The speakers broadcast (a recording of) the artist’s heartbeat, multiplied and amplified into the exhibition space. The artist also (frequently-occasionally) wears a heartbeat recording device which transmits live to the ring in the exhibition.
• AK: Clout-Count.
“One ring and her heartbeat to reign `em all”. HL:X70.
Exhibition space from the museum’s upper floor. HL:X70. Click on the 30-second video below.
Mounted on the back wall of the exhibition space is a working clock whose front face has been replaced by a mirrored surface. You have to step up not only to hear the clock’s ticking to acknowledge the march in time, but you’re also “forced” to see your reflection in the mirrored clock face.
Back wall of the exhibition. HL:X70.
Ticking clock, beating heart. HL:X70. Click on the 55-second video below.
A three-dimensional scan was made of the artist who covered herself under a bedsheet. The scan was subsequently reproduced into a life-sized sculpture made of bronze. For the duration of the exhibition, this sculpture appears outside at the forecourt near the museum’s front entrance.
• AK: Selbst-Porträt als Geist.
Located near the museum entrance is the sculpture “Self-portrait as a ghost” appearing at front-centre in this image. HL:X70.
Located in Berlin-Kreuzberg, the Berlinische Galerie (BG) is a wonderfully spacious museum dedicated to the exhibition of modern art created in Berlin from the late-19th to late-20th century. Visitors are greeted by a yellow word-search puzzle at the museum entrance. The museum is open Wednesday to Monday from 10am to 6pm. Check the website for admission information and policies; admission is free on the first Sunday of every month. Exhibition tags include: #AlicjaKwade #AlicjaKwadeBG #InAbwesenheit #BerlinischeGalerie.
BVG bus 248 provides service to stop “Jüdisches Museum (Berlin)” from which it’s a 5-minute walk to the BG. With the U-Bahn, the nearest “metro” stations to the BG are Kochstrasse (U6) or Hallesches Tor (U1, U3, U6).
Except for two images provided by the BG, I made all other images and two videos above on 25 Nov 2021 with a Fujifilm X70 fixed-lens prime (X70) and an Apple 6th-generation iPod Touch (iPT6). This post appears on Fotoeins Fotografie at fotoeins DOT com as https://wp.me/p1BIdT-lR8.
Posted by HL fotoeins
Categories: Arts, Culture, Europe, Germany, Photography, Science, Travel, Women
Tags: Alicja Kwade, art and science, Berlin, Berlinische Galerie, contemporary art, deutsche Hauptstadt, fotoeins, Gegenwartskunst, German art, In Absence, In Abwesenheit, Kunst, moderne Kunst, Museum fuer moderne Kunst, sculpture, zeitgenoessische Kunst
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Thank you for sharing Henry, this thought provoking art pieces and installations , they are quite remarkable and leave me with many thoughts
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By www.corneliaweber-photography.com on 17 Jan 2022 at 0345 GMT+0000
Hi, Cornelia. Kwade’s exhibition, individual pieces, and the expressions of her ideas will live long in my brain. Thank you for stopping by!
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By fotoeins on 20 Feb 2022 at 0215 GMT+0000
[…] some works in their permanent collection I’d like to see, I want to see the exhibition by Polish-German artist Alicja Kwade whom I saw featured by DW Arts.21 six weeks ago in early […]
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By Berlin: a quick 8000-km jaunt home during the pandemic | Fotoeins Fotografie on 17 Jan 2022 at 0941 GMT+0000
Quite the scholarly dissertation. Definitely a unique artist and art. Interesting ‘selfie’!
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By JohnRH on 18 Jan 2022 at 1414 GMT+0000
Hi, John. Kwade’s exhibition, individual sculptures, and expressions of her ideas will inhabit space in my skull for a very long time. Thanks for stopping by!
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By fotoeins on 20 Feb 2022 at 0216 GMT+0000
Hi, Henry. This is a fascinating post. I love how you expressed this: “The deconstruction of “self” into precise scientific elements is another way of expressing those (dreaded) “selfies” or self-portraits. I admire the clever play: it’s the breakdown into those elements that tell us what she is, and it’s the measured synthesis of those elements into the broad strokes of her sculptures that tell us who she is.” I love the social commentary about the fragmenting of the self. She’s taken that idea to the extreme and literally deconstructed the self into genetic sequences. The social commentary is wonderful in the cellphone helix. She has challenged us to reassemble these components into the whole self. Fascinating. I’m delighted that you were able to see it and that you’ve introduced me to a fabulous artist. Thanks, Henry!
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By pattimoed on 22 Jan 2022 at 1522 GMT+0000
Hi, Patti. Thank you for your insights and for stopping by. It’s difficult to know whether a blogsite post describing an art installation with text and images can provide the same reach as witnessing the installation live and in person; the “translation” process from 3-d to 2-d isn’t ideal. But I’m glad you interpreted the pictures from Kwade’s exhibition and her expression of ideas. Thanks again!
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By fotoeins on 20 Feb 2022 at 0232 GMT+0000