Form meets Color

Kunstverein Bielefeld</a> from March 1 to April 27, 2025, the visual artist, set designer, and actor Alex <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Form-meets-Color/"/Artist/Alex-Wissel/82FB9BFCD68AB246">Wissel continues his longstanding exploration of the origin of anti-democratic and identity-based politics of right-wing populism. This exploration culminates in new groups of installations specifically developed for this exhibition.<p>At the center of the exhibition is the figure of philosopher Jürgen Habermas, representing the communication theory he shaped, which has significantly influenced the cultural self-perception of public debates in the Federal Republic of Germany since 1945. In his Theory of Communicative Action, Habermas argues that the best argument prevails through rational persuasion without external coercion. Wissel juxtaposes this concept with our contemporary moment, shaped by neo-reactionary thinkers such as Nick Land, Peter Thiel, and Elon Musk. These figures no longer view freedom as part of democracy but advocate for a fully privatized public sphere, which Habermas would describe as a “destroyed public sphere.”</p><p><br></p>" />

François Boucher</a>’s sensual depiction of a young woman lying unclad on a sofa rests entirely within the period of its origin, the Rococo. For his depiction of erotic nudity, the painter dispenses with any customary mythological-historical frame – something that was still a risk even in the Age of Enlightenment. For whom, however, was the painting intended? Why are the layers of paint in such a fragile condition? And do we know anything about the person depicted? Many questions crop up on encountering this painting once again that has since been analysed art-technologically, conserved and restored at the Doerner Institut and will return to the rooms of the <a target="_blank" href=https://www.mutualart.com/Exhibition/Form-meets-Color/"/Organization/Alte-Pinakothek/2D6E0AB40B8E0C09">Alte Pinakothek</a> in February.</p><p><br></p>" />

Devasher, Deutsche Bank’s “Artist of the Year” for 2024, delves into the intersections of science, art, and philosophy through her research-intensive practice. Borrowed Light, Devasher’s first institutional solo exhibition in Europe, highlights her longstanding engagement with astronomy, where light plays a pivotal role. For Devasher, the key to exploring new cosmologies between the human and the non-human lies in examining the interplay between place, observer, and observation.<p>These spaces and the scientists she has worked with are a conduit to the most fundamental questions we ask as a species. What is the nature of the universe? How do we map its resolution? Where does our attention focus? How do we describe, collect, sort, map, and measure what we see? How does our history and worldview shape our interpretation of data and perception of things? Devasher is passionate about the tools and technology that allow for these observations, and these deeply inspire her work.</p><p>The observation of natural phenomena has been a cornerstone of Indian history and culture for thousands of years, particularly in the field of astronomy. The science of the stars was esteemed not only for its precise measurements, data, tables, and calculations, but also for the sensual and spiritual experience of the cosmos.</p><p>The centerpiece of this exhibition, One Hundred Thousand Suns, focuses on the historic Kodaikanal Solar Observatory in South India, where every day, weather permitting, since 1904, the staff at the observatory have recorded images of our Sun. The trajectory of the Sun’s observations is navigated to explore the complexities of observational astronomy, and the ways in which “seeing” is strange, wondrous, and more ambiguous than one might imagine.</p><p>The exhibition title, Borrowed Light, is an architectural term used for reflected light, or light “borrowed” from an adjoining space to light an otherwise dark room or passage. For Devasher, Borrowed Light is a meditation on impermanence, light, and time, a reminder that our connection to the planet’s skies and what lies beyond demonstrates that it is possible to envision a future of planetary living based on solidarity and empathy.</p><p><br></p>" />