Kader Attia's exhibition at Lehmann Maupin Gallery is a comprehensive overview of his practice, which encompasses various media, including sculpture, installation, and video. The show delves into themes such as identity, memory, and the impact of technology on human experience.
The exhibition begins with a series of collages in the first room, forming an encyclopedic lexicon of artifacts representative of different cultures. These artworks highlight Attia's research-driven approach to art history, tracing the genealogy of contemporary art and its dialogue with pre-modern, non-Western traditions.
One of the central works in the exhibition is "La Valise Oubliee" (2025), a video installation that explores the tension between connection and isolation in our hyper-communicative age. The work features a person sorting through old family photographs on a purple embroidered cloth, evoking themes of memory, nostalgia, and the human need for physical connection.
Attia also presents an interactive site-specific installation entitled "Resonance" (2025), which anchors the exhibition. This work presents gathering as an individuating space of freedom, using empty birdcages hanging from thick ropes to create a poetic and immersive environment.
Throughout the show, Attia's practice is characterized by its use of everyday objects and materials, which are transformed into vessels of meaning and memory. The artist's use of gesture and movement in his sculptures also underscores the importance of human agency and physicality in the creative process.
Ultimately, the exhibition offers a nuanced exploration of the complexities of human experience in the digital age, inviting viewers to engage with the artworks on multiple levels and to reflect on their own relationship with technology and social media.
The exhibition begins with a series of collages in the first room, forming an encyclopedic lexicon of artifacts representative of different cultures. These artworks highlight Attia's research-driven approach to art history, tracing the genealogy of contemporary art and its dialogue with pre-modern, non-Western traditions.
One of the central works in the exhibition is "La Valise Oubliee" (2025), a video installation that explores the tension between connection and isolation in our hyper-communicative age. The work features a person sorting through old family photographs on a purple embroidered cloth, evoking themes of memory, nostalgia, and the human need for physical connection.
Attia also presents an interactive site-specific installation entitled "Resonance" (2025), which anchors the exhibition. This work presents gathering as an individuating space of freedom, using empty birdcages hanging from thick ropes to create a poetic and immersive environment.
Throughout the show, Attia's practice is characterized by its use of everyday objects and materials, which are transformed into vessels of meaning and memory. The artist's use of gesture and movement in his sculptures also underscores the importance of human agency and physicality in the creative process.
Ultimately, the exhibition offers a nuanced exploration of the complexities of human experience in the digital age, inviting viewers to engage with the artworks on multiple levels and to reflect on their own relationship with technology and social media.