Zarina Bhimji
dal 30/5/2012 al 1/9/2012
Segnalato da
30/5/2012
Zarina Bhimji
Kunstmuseum Bern, Bern
With a criticism marked by gentleness and a poetic touch, the British artist tackles the complex subjects of migration, globalization, and post-colonial history. Besides exhibits from her photographic oeuvre and her installation work, her film Out Of Blue (2002) is shown for the first time in Switzerland, and the same is true for her new film Yellow Patch (2011) that was produced especially for the present exhibition.
Curated by Kathleen Bühler
An Unremitting yet Gentle Point of View
In collaboration with the renowned Whitechapel Gallery in London, the Kunstmuseum
Bern is presenting the first retrospective on British photographer, filmmaker, and
installation artist Zarina Bhimji. With a criticism marked by gentleness and a poetic
touch, Zarina Bhimji tackles the complex subjects of migration, globalization, and
post-colonial history.
The artist was born in 1963 as daughter to parents of Indian descent living in Uganda, where
she grew up until Idi Amin’s expulsion of the country’s Indian minority. Zarina Bhimji completed
her art studies in London. She has been invited to participate in many international group
exhibitions and was nominated for the Turner Prize in 2007.
A poetic search for traces of the past
Zarina Bhimji’s work is strongly marked by her personal experiences of exile and her diverse
cultural background. Her poetic films and photographs are documents of her search for traces of
the past. The artist constructs fragmented narratives by interweaving personal experience and
intuition with facts concerning the countries of her origins and their post-colonial history. In
doing so, she formulates a subjective view of the present situation in three continents (Europe,
Africa, Asia) and unveils the complex entwinement of culture, ethnicity, and politics. In her art,
Bhimji does not articulate her bonds to Africa, India, and Europe by way of accusations, political
analyses, or blame. Instead she engages with locations and landscapes related to her
background while exploring their beauties.
Emotional honing in on truth
Bhimji addresses history and truth via poetry and beauty. The artist explains that her
emphatically poetic approach is due to her skepticism toward documentary coverage as a
medium for finding truth. As Bhimji says herself, she strives to express “emotional states in
visual language.” It is the visual beauty of Bhimji’s artworks that speaks to the beholder.
However, her unpeopled films and photographs are neither sentimental nor do they forcibly put
things in a favorable light. And haunting soundscapes sometimes enhance her films, including a
mix of snippets from newscasts, local background noise, and music. Furthermore, her art does
not evade the traces of violence in history: The scars from exploded grenades in an interior,
guns lined up against a wall in Uganda or walls scrawled with graffiti, and likewise the
scratched-away face of a statue of Queen Victoria all allude to appalling events. Mute and
profound tragedies unfold in her work. Bhimji’s aloof viewpoint, her gentle perseverance in
lifting the veil off hidden beauties while also exposing the scars, endeavors to be both factual
and excite our interest.
The most comprehensive show of her oeuvre to date
Besides exhibits from her photographic oeuvre and her installation work (among others, loans
from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London), her film Out Of Blue (2002) will be shown for the
first time in Switzerland, and the same is true for her new film Yellow Patch (2011) that was
produced especially for the present exhibition. For Zarina Bhimji’s 25-year-long career as an
artist, this exhibition – with some 30 artworks and series – is the most comprehensive show of
her oeuvre to date.
Image: BILD 7, Zarina Bhimji, Your Sadness is Drunk, 2001 – 06. Ilfochrome Ciba Classic Print, 127 x 160 cm. Courtesy the artist
© 2012, ProLitteris, Zürich
Contact media / images
Contact person: Brigit Bucher, brigit.bucher@kunstmuseumbern.ch , tel.: +41 31 328 09 21
Images: Marie Louise Suter, press@kunstmuseumbern.ch , tel.: +41 31 328 09 53
Opening: Thursday, 31.05.2012, 18h30
Kunstmuseum Bern
Hodlerstrasse 8-12 - 3000 Bern 7
Regular opening hours
Tuesday: 10h - 21h
Wednesday to Sunday:10h - 17h
Mondays: closed
Holidays
Closed on Good Friday, 1 August and 25 December
Open from 10h - 17h on other holidays
Admission fees
Collection CHF 7.00 / red. CHF 5.00
Exhibitions up to CHF 24.00 / red. CHF 20.00