ALICJA KWADE
DESERT X 2022
ALULA, SAUDI ARABIA11 FEBRUARY – 30 MARCH 2022
In Kwade’s large-scale installation In Blur, nothing is quite what it seems. Using double-sided mirrors and carefully placed paired natural objects like stones, bushes, and trees, the artist achieves the illusion of sudden and surprising transformations. The mirror glass conceals part of one of the objects, yet at the same time completes it with the mirror image of the same part in the other. In this way, a new, illusionary object is created through the overlaying of reality and appearance.
In Blur is more of an experience than a static installation. It comes to life through the viewer’s movement within the structure, as the way they read and understand the objects within it shifts depending on their perspective. This poetic work of art is a complex interplay of reflections on the world around us; it challenges the visitor’s understanding of their surroundings, emphasizing the subjectivity of perception and thus reality. In Blur draws inspiration from the surrounding iconic landscape and geological heritage. It features and strengthens the iconic landscape in all aspects: the vastness of the desert, the clear sky, and the dramatic canyon. Reflecting the light and atmosphere of the desert, the mirrors almost create a Fata Morgana effect.
© Images Lance Gerber