The work of Alicja Kwade (*1979) is inspired by philosophical, scientific and social issues. In her sculptures she negotiates models and constructions for the perception of reality in order to question the possibilities of subjective and objective knowledge.

"In Absence" is based on recent works by Alicja Kwade, which can be read more broadly as self-portraits. The artist explores the question of how human beings and their physical presence in space can be described on the basis of different methodological considerations.

The work "Self-Portrait" shows 24 glass ampoules containing in pure form the chemical elements that make up the human body. A room-sized installation is based on the artist's complete genome, printed out on 314,000 pages of paper. A group of several bronze steles also addresses the human genome in the digital age. For this, the artist has stacked numerous smartphones on top of each other in an offset fashion to form a double helix.

The central work refers to the physical location of the human being in time and space: a black steel ring is located in the center of the hall and reaches up to the ceiling. Mounted to it are 24 loudspeakers through which the artist's heartbeat is transmitted into the exhibition space.

The exhibition was conceived in 2019 and was originally scheduled to be shown in spring 2020. Due to the Corona pandemic, the opening has been postponed to fall 2021.

In the publication accompanying the exhibition, Kwade presents historical and contemporary illustrations of some of the systems to which her works directly and indirectly relate. The visuals range from anatomical drawings to historical maps to electron microscope images of the structure of atoms. Like Kwade's works, the illustrations are aesthetic visualizations of abstract scientific and philosophical theories. The selected illustrations are therefore a collection of material and documentation of the artist's research process. At the same time, they are a subtext that combines with the works to form narrative structures.

With Kwade's site-specific installation in the first large exhibition hall, the Berlinische Galerie is continuing the successful format of in-situ projects by contemporary artists working in Berlin. Kwade studied at the Berlin University of the Arts from 1999 to 2005 and is today one of the most sought-after artists internationally. She has recently exhibited in New York, Tours, Helsinki, Copenhagen, Zurich, Barcelona, Shanghai, Reykjavik, Venice and London.

As part of the Berlin Art Week.