The following installations, on view across the UK and USA, stimulate the senses. From large-scale site-specific pieces that question how we interact with space, to real-time generative environments about technology and nature, these works of art are part of February’s unmissable roster of shows.
Tiril Hasselknippe: Hyperstate | Magenta Plains, New York | Until 24 February
Norwegian sculptor Tiril Hasselknippe (b. 1984) works with a wide range of materials such as concrete, fibreglass, resin and steel. Her conceptual objects are inspired by deeply personal themes as well as current issues in society. Magenta Plains presents a series of fluorescent installations that overtake the gallery space through their scale, volume and weight. These arch-like pieces are a reflection of the artist’s experience of living with fibromyalgia – a chronic disorder of pain through the body and recurring fatigue. Symbols of both form and structure, these portals and arches are metaphors for entering other worlds, celestial spaces and unknown terrains – as well as passages into new feelings and understandings.
Outi Pieski | Tate, St Ives | From 10 February
Outi Pieski (b. 1973) is a Sámi visual artist based in Finland. Her practice explores the culture and identity of the Sámi people – who live in the region of Sápmi, which now includes the northern part of Scandinavia and the Kola peninsula in Russia. In many of her projects, she incorporates traditional craft practices, using materials such as wood and textile. For Pieski, these fabric installations are a way of revitalising connections between past and future generations. Tate St Ives’ show raises important questions about ancestral return, indigenous people’s rights, and the relationship between humans, animals and nature.
Refik Anadol: Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive | Serpentine North, London | From 16 February
Turkish-American artist Refik Anadol (b. 1985) is known for his digital works and large-scale public installations that present real-time generative environments. He is interested in collaborative creative practices between artificial intelligence and humanity. Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive presents an experimentation with visual data of coral reefs and rainforests. Inside Serpentine North’s building, the project transforms space into an AI model’s interpretation of natural environments. The show features a 3D generative AI output made from data about flora, fungi and fauna from over 16 tropical woodlands.
Zheng Bo: Bamboo As Method | Somerset House, London | From 22 February
Hong Kong-based artist Zheng Bo (b. 1974) centres their work around modern living in the current ecological and socio-political era. Now, Zheng transforms Somerset House’s courtyard into a bamboo garden with a site-specific installation. Using over 300 locally sourced bamboo roots, the large-scale piece serves as a reminder of nature’s many restorative qualities. The project invites the public to temporarily disconnect from their fast-paced everyday lives and immerse themselves in the biosphere. Participants are encouraged to spend time sketching the characteristics of the scene. When completed, these drawings are turned into compost to fertilise the garden – creating a cycle of creativity and ecology.
Sarah Sze | Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas | Until 18 August
Over the course of her career, Sarah Sze (b. 1969) has created immersive installations that expand the boundaries between mediums. Sze uses a complex palette of materials to question the impact of the interconnected society and the way we mark time and space. Now, Nasher Sculpture Center showcases Sze’s objects that integrate painting, sculpture, images, sound and video. These site-specific works create intimate systems and engage with the Renzo Piano-designed building. Through Sze’s display, visitors can reflect on contemporary life and explore the surrounding architecture from a new perspective.
Image credits:
1. Refik Anadol, Artificial Realities: Coral, 2023. Courtesy Refik Anadol Studios. Photo by John Muggenborg
2. Installation view, Tiril Hasselknippe: Hyperstate, Magenta Plains, New York, NY 2024.
3. Outi Pieski, Beavvit – Rising Together II, 2021, detail. Courtesy: Minds Rising, Spirits Tuning, The 13th Gwangju Biennale. Photo: Sang Tae Kim
4. Refik Anadol, Artificial Realities: Coral, 2023. Courtesy Refik Anadol Studios
5. Zheng Bo, Bamboo as Method, 2018. Photo by Erhan. Courtesy the artist and Kiang Malingue.
6. Sarah Sze (American, born 1969) Pictures at an Exhibition, 2023 © Sarah Sze.
