Roni Horn

kurimanzutto is proud to present Roni Horn’s first solo exhibition in Mexico and at the gallery. The selection of works for this show are proof of Horn’s fluidity in her practice. Sculpture and photography reveal many of the questions she has raised throughout her work, such as identity, transformation, appearance, visibility and the evocative power of language through the written word. As in her prior expositions, Horn focuses on the viewer by emphasizing the spatial and conceptual connections between each artwork. Physical space thus becomes a binding force for aesthetic experience.

Much of the writing around Horn’s oeuvre speaks of the difficulty for the spectator to fully grasp the artist’s intent, the complete meaning of her work and the scope and depth of her practice. Indeed, her practice is often described with adjectives related to water, due to its fluidity in form and meaning as well as the direct references to the theme of water treated in glass pieces, sculptures and photographs. Every piece is a complete aesthetic and intellectual experience in itself. However, juxtapositions and references, repetition, placement in space, titles and footnotes, all add layers to her pieces each time they are exhibited.

For the show at kurimanzutto, many of the works will address concepts of pairing and doubling that have been explored by the artist through photography, sculpture and drawing. Four of Horn’s mesmerizing cast glass sculptures will be exhibited within the gallery space. Attracting visitors to dive into the smooth surface with their gaze, the sculptures invite viewers to decipher their materiality, color and depth. The distance between the pieces and the spatial connections they create with other works in the show will add another dimension to the viewer’s experience: one where his own position in the gallery determines a particular aesthetic feeling.

Another group of aluminum and plastic sculptures with written verses by Emily Dickinson form spatial concepts that relate to literature and the place they occupy. Photographs from the a.k.a. (2008–09) display the exercise of pairing and doubling that Horn has been expanding on for many years; these works also include variations on the notions of identity and its transformation, a central preoccupation in her practice.

The exhibition at kurimanzutto is a substantial collection of some of Horn’s most emblematic works and series. This will allow Mexican audiences to better comprehend the artist’s practice and the importance of her contributions to the history of contemporary art.