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until 16.11. | #4465ARTatBerlin | Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery Berlin shows from 19. October 2024 the exhibition “In its Wistful Shatter” of the artists Kwadwo A Asiedu.
Through a swirling plane of vibrant, translucent colours, we catch glimpses of wild animals, seascapes, jagged rocks, coral blossoms and skeletal trees. These multi-layered, shifting landscapes are the work of Mexican-born, Nigerian-based Ghanaian artist Kwadwo A. Asiedu, whose work explores the evolution of nature and our relationship with it. His latest solo exhibition at the Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery in Berlin presents ‘In its Wistful Shatter’, a captivating new body of work that explores ideas of rupture and separation, but also of renewal and reconstruction. By bringing together elements from different ecosystems, Asiedu reflects on a more harmonious form of coexistence between humans and nature.
Asiedu originally trained as a photographer and draws from his extensive archive as well as found images to create digital collages, which he then translates onto canvas. While he previously played with scale to abstract his image sources and create dream-like landscapes, this latest series marks a shift towards incorporating more figurative elements that contrast with the fluid brushstrokes and fragmented textures. These concrete details, Asiedu explains, are entry points that allow the viewer to identify and empathise with the narrative on an emotional level, but they also highlight our complicity. In the painting ‘Stem the Rising Tide’, for example, a tiger sits at the bottom of the canvas and stares into the distance. In front of him lies a jagged expanse of ice, glowing in a green puddle – perhaps a vision of climatic imbalance and thus the endangerment of his species. In fact, the tiger already seems to be disappearing from view, while in the top right-hand corner the ghostly presence of a locust appears, a biblical symbol of plague and destruction. As Asiedu notes, we as humans can find ourselves in both animals – as a destroyer and as an endangered species. In other words: We are not only responsible for the destruction of wildlife, but also for our own existence.
Animals – in this case a stallion and a pangolin – are also used in ‘I’ve Seen Fire’ to give the composition an emotional resonance. They are the ones who have most clearly seen and felt the effects of global warming, and yet they are also symbols of strength and resilience. The horse is not charging away from danger, but through the flames towards the viewer, while the pangolin, threatened with extinction due to man-made illegal trade, is not only the most concrete part of the painting – the outline of its scales are illuminated by a giant sun – but is also depicted larger than life. In this apocalyptic landscape, characterised by acidic tones, flames, charred and melting earth, its presence serves to highlight both the suffering and adaptability of nature in the face of human destruction.
This idea of mutability is also conveyed by Asideu’s process, in which he assembles fragmented images into new landscapes, but also by the recurring presence of fungi, which appear in almost all of the images in the series. ‘Fungal mycelia are highly intelligent: they make decisions and change their developmental patterns in response to interactions with other organisms,’ he explains. ‘In my work, as in nature, they are small but powerful, integral to the foundations of our existing – and painted by me – ecosystems.’ In other words, they are a symbol of hope, of a world that is recreating itself – even if it may not include us. This unsettling truth is at the centre of Asideu’s work, creating a sense of uncertainty. Yet amidst all the chaos and broken images, his vibrant colours and shifting forms hint at the potential for radical renewal and a world order in which nature, not us, reigns supreme.
Vernissage: Friday, 18 October 2024, 6 – 8 pm
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 19 October 2024 – Saturday, 16 November 2024
Image caption: Kwadwo A Asiedu, Who Have We Forsaken, 2024 | Acryl auf Leinwand, 120 x 160 cm
Exhibition Kwadwo A Asiedu – Kristin Hjellegjerde Berlin | Zeitgenössische Kunst in Berlin | Contemporary Art | Exhibitions Berlin Galerien | ART at Berlin
