The Clouds and the Cloud
Clouds – without us being aware of it – have an elementary significance for us. We inscribe our wishes, hopes and fears into their fleeting, indeterminate diversity.
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Hans-Peter Feldmann, Wolken, 2004, Contemporary Collection, MGKSiegen, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Work by Flaka Haliti, I see a face. Do you see a face., 2014, Courtesy the artist and LambdaLambdaLambda, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Works by Flaka Haliti, I see a face. Do you see a face., 2014, Courtesy the artist and LambdaLambdaLambda, Arbeit von Benoît Maire, Clouds Painting, 2020, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Courtesy Croy Nielsen, Wien, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Works by Benoît Maire, Clouds Painting, 2020, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Courtesy Croy Nielsen, Wien, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Latifa Echakhch, Encrage (L’appareil photo Kodak), 2014, Courtesy the artist and kamel mennour, Paris/ London, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by James Bridle, Cloud Index, cloudindx.com, 2016, Courtesy the artist, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Works by Nina Canell, Brief Syllabel/ Thin Vowels, 2014, Courtesy the artist and Barbara Wien Gallery, Work by Michael Sailstorfer, Himmel Siegen, 2020, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Ho Tzu Nyen, The Cloud of Unknowing, 2011, Courtesy the artist and Edouard Malingue Gallery, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Michael Sailstorfer, Himmel Siegen, 2020, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Almut Linde, Dirty Minimal #70,1–Wolkenmeer/ 29,3 Tonnen CO2, 2012, Courtesy the artist, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by David Horvitz, Imagined Clouds (Siegen), 2020, Courtesy the artist and ChertLüdde, Berlin, Works by Shilpa Gupta, Unnoticed, 2017, Courtesy the artist and Galleria Continua, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Marie-Luce Nadal, Factory of the Vaporous, No. 2, 2014, © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2020, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Works by Christopher Kulendran Thomas, dataset#3-run#1-network_010252-seed_0416.png, dataset#3-run#5-network_01099-seed_0326.png, dataset#3-run#4-network_010744-seed_0147.png, 2020, Courtesy the artist, Works by Trevor Paglen, CLOUD #135 Hough Lines, 2019, CLOUD #865 Hough Circle Transform, 2019, Courtesy the artist and Pace Gallery, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The Clouds and the Cloud, Exhibition view, MGKSiegen, Work by Metahaven, Information Skies, 2016, Courtesy the artists, Photo: Philipp Ottendörfer
The artistic “discovery” of the cloud began in the Middle Ages and intensified in the 19th century, parallel to its importance in the natural sciences and humanities. In the context of globalisation, virtualisation and 20th century theory, the cloud is now developing into a model for describing the complexity of contemporary conditions. It is becoming a symbol of networked information architecture, geopolitical relations, and new concepts of space. It is well-known, after all, that clouds do not stop at borders.
The exhibition “The Clouds and the Cloud” in the MGKSiegen deals with the phenomenon of the cloud from a contemporary perspective. In doing so, it goes much further than the customary cloud images. Using a variety of media, the contributions range from artistic translations of the natural motif to the technical infrastructure of the clouds and their affects. The works presented combine ecological, socio-political, economic and technological aspects. The focus is on exploring the various perceptions, materialities and functions of the cloud today.
With contributions by
James Bridle
Nina Canell
Latifa Echakhch
Lara Favaretto
Hans-Peter Feldmann
Shilpa Gupta
Flaka Haliti
David Horvitz
Almut Linde
Benoît Maire
Metahaven
Marie-Luce Nadal
Ho Tzu Nyen
Trevor Paglen
Michael Sailstorfer
Christopher Kulendran Thomas