Page 194 - ART GIANTS issue of World of Art (WOA) Contemporary Art Magazine

WORLD-CLASS ART KIKI SMITH:

WOVEN WORLDS

Moderna Museet Malmö presents Woven Worlds, an expansive
exhibition showcasing over 50 works by renowned artist Kiki
Smith. Known for her multidisciplinary approach, Smith explores
themes of nature, mythology, and human embodiment through
weaving, drawing, and sculpture.
This presentation features jacquard weavings alongside
their layouts, intricate collaged drawings up to three meters
high, and sculptures in bronze, porcelain, and graphite. A
centerpiece of the exhibition is Sperm Piece (1991), part of
Moderna Museet’s collection, in which over 700 glass elements
spill across the floor, an evocative reflection on life and
transformation.
Smith’s richly detailed compositions depict wolves,
butterflies, and bats, creating mythical landscapes infused Kiki Smith, Sperm piece, 1991 Photo: Albin Dahlström/Moderna Museet
Courtesy PaceWaldenstein, New York. Curtesy Moderna Museet
with shimmering silver thread. Woven Worlds highlights her
technical innovations, including computerized jacquard looms Kiki Smith, Fallen, 2018 Curtesy Moderna Museet. Photo: Phoebe d' Heurle
that echo the precision of printmaking.

Kiki Smith, Woman with Wolf, 2003. Courtesy Moderna Museet.
Photo: Kerry Ryan McFate

Curated by Elisabeth Millqvist and Jutta Mattern, the exhibition
marks a shift in Smith’s focus—from the human body to the
interconnectedness of nature and the cosmos. "Art is just a
way to think," Smith has said, and this exhibition reveals her
evolving creative process.
Since the 1970s, Smith’s work has been exhibited
internationally, including at the Whitney Museum, Whitechapel
Gallery, and Haus der Kunst. Woven Worlds originated through
close collaboration with the artist and was first initiated by Arp
Museum Bahnhof Rolandseck, with previous presentations at
the Museum of Contemporary Art of Montenegro. At Moderna
Museet Malmö, the exhibition becomes part of an ongoing
curatorial exploration into nature, transition, and environmental
themes, reinforcing its global significance

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