Matter Moments: Berlin-based artist’s first show in India

Often veering towards the absurd and transforming commonly accepted assumptions into open-ended questions, Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade’s poetic and mesmerising oeuvre disrupts familiar systems and searches for new explanations to comprehend our world.

To present this, Nature Morte has organised her first solo exhibition titled “Matter Moments” in India. Known for her distinctive artistic language involving reflection, repetition, and the deconstruction and reconstruction of everyday objects, Kwade uses natural materials to explore our reality’s essence and examine social structures.

Here, she delves into the intricate pursuit of knowledge, unraveling the paradoxes that while we relentlessly seek it, we are often eluded by it. The show further examines measurement, scale, and the vantage points from which we contemplate our quest for understanding wealth distribution, national responsibility, and the role of resources.

At the center of the exhibition stands a series of four new sculptures by the artist entitled Know-ledge, which utilise Encyclopedia Britannica books representing the consolidation of knowledge.

Tethered on one end via a stainless steel funnel that appears to condense the entirety of human knowledge and time, the other end presents a symbolic stone that serves as a counterweight.

Hanging afloat above these works are a series of mobiles that feature rocks suspended by gold-plated structures and wires, bringing acute attention to the operations of gravity and the precarity of its states of equilibrium.

Various works on paper line the walls of the gallery, transcending mere representation and delving into the philosophical realms of measurement, time, and perception. They prompt viewers to consider the nuanced relationships between these seemingly disparate systems. Transformator, installed in an adjacent gallery space, consists of a natural, original branch and its mirrored counterpart in patinated bronze.

At the heart of this work is a polished bronze sphere nestled amidst the branches, serving as a mirror with a unique twist—it doesn’t just reflect reality, it transforms it. This piece encourages viewers to explore the enigmatic aspects of our universe, pondering the existence of hidden forces and parallel realms that may exist beyond our everyday perception.

When: 6-8 pm, January 25 – March 3

Where: Nature Morte Gallery, The Dhan Mill, Chattarpur Hills, Pocket D, Dr Ambedkar Colony, Chattarpur