Alicja Kwade
Moving in Glances
Dallas Contemporary
September 15 - December 12, 2019
At a moment of tremendous diversity in the arts, when practically any material or combination of mediums are being used as a means of artistic expression, Berlin-based Alicja Kwade stands out for her ability and daring to push materials and fabrication techniques to their limit. The artist’s boundless creative energy, curiosity and drive, fuel a continuous exploration to transform and reshape materials such as metals, concrete and everyday objects.
Kwade’s exhibition at Dallas Contemporary, Moving in Glances, explored the concept of movement through stasis. The selection of work revolved around the idea of depicting motion, which the artist achieved by showing solid and stationary yet fundamentally dynamic objects.
Throughout history, humanity has created scientific conventions and political narratives to establish a sense of order within a messy chaotic world. The sense of order is based on a common narrative that has allowed humans to work together, allowing civilizations to thrive. Utilizing a spare language, Kwade simply and elegantly reshapes and reframes objects and materials, provoking an internal awakening to the fact that despite humanity’s accomplishments, in the big picture, we are not in control. As Kwade likes to remind us, we are simply flying through space on a rotating ball.
A sister exhibition, In Between Glances, was on view at the List Visual Arts Center at MIT in Boston from October 2019 – January 2020.
Adjunct Curator: Pedro Alonzo