How do you render wind visible? How do you depict air? How do you capture photographically something which usually eludes visual perception?
The Amsterdam-based multi-media artist Sjoerd Knibbeler (b. 1981) focuses on complex natural phenomena which he renders visible in his photographic works. An interest in discovering the world through human imagination, inventions and technologies is at the root of his work. Each set of works requires detailed precise observations of nature, experiments and discussions with scientists. On the basis of this, the artist develops various models which allow fleeting moments like a gust of wind or a beam of sunlight to be experienced. At the end of the investigation there is the photograph which visualises the quasi-invisible processes in aesthetically polished images — they, in turn, encourage us, the viewers, to engage with their content.
The exhibition notably features works from the Current Studies and Exploded Views series. Knibbeler was artist in residence at the MKdW as early as 2017. During his stay on the island of Föhr he first had the idea for Exploded Views, his most recent series. This extensive selection is presented at the MKdW for the first time. In the summer of 2020, he again visited the island to focus on the topic of climate change and artistically reflect on possible human interventions. The resulting works of the In Elements series are also shown in this one-man show, his first institutional exhibition in Germany.
The visual artist distinctions include being selected as a “Foam Talent” by the renowned Amsterdam-based Foam Magazine and receiving the Grand Prix du Jury Photographie in Hyères, France. In September 2020, he won First Prize at the Backlight2020 Photo Festival in Finland.
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