From November 21 to November 26, Art Sonje Center will host a 6-day screening program featuring the works of Mika Rottenberg, titled Mika Rottenberg: Rabbit Hole. Mika Rottenberg’s artistic exploration delves deep into the realms of production and labor concealed beneath the surface of contemporary capitalism. Her artistic visions are powerfully sensually conveyed through her screen compositions, which not only stimulate the senses but also encapsulate profound concepts within the frames. These screens in her visual works are a testament to her artistry and narrative skill, using concise language and style to convey a strong sense of intensity and sensuality. They depict artificially designed spaces with a subtle otherness, juxtaposing expansive female bodies within confined environments, and evoking tension through the compression and expansion of sound and actions.

Mika Rottenberg: Rabbit Hole showcases a selection of six artworks, spanning from the artist’s early 2000s creations to her most recent pieces. Rottenberg is known for her skills in juxtaposing contrasting ideas and reimagining everyday elements in a way that engages the senses, prompting viewers to explore the often-overlooked facets of contemporary society that undeniably exist. Her unique artistic approach combines opposing concepts such as reality and fiction, tangible objects and metaphors, contraction and expansion, collective and individual, all within a single frame to maximize sensory impact. This distinctive feature of her work can be seen in her screening pieces, where she challenges logical structure and binary divisions. In her artworks, the image of a circle appears repeatedly, taking on various forms like holes, tunnels, the moon, and eyes. The holes within the artist’s work are casually integrated into everyday scenes, connecting them to the globalized production system. However, when observed and contemplated with a sustained gaze, the circle motif continuously multiplies and expands, serving as a portal that transcends the current dimension. Through Mika Rottenberg: Rabbit Hole, we aspire to provide an opportunity to immerse ourselves in Rottenberg’s artistic realm and unveil the intricacies of everyday life as it exists in our contemporary society. This experience opens small doors to new possibilities, your very own journey of exploration.

• About the Artist

Mika Rottenberg (b.1971)
New York-based artist Mika Rottenberg is devoted to a rigorous practice that combines film, architectural installation, and sculpture to explore ideas of labor and the production of value in our contemporary hyper-capitalist world. Through the editing process and with footage from sets built in her studio, Rottenberg connects seemingly disparate places and objects, sensually crafting elaborate and subversive visual narratives. Rottenberg was the recipient of the 2019 Kurt Schwitters Prize, whereas in 2018, she was the winner of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s James Dicke Contemporary Artist Prize. Rottenberg’s recent solo exhibitions include: MCA Chicago(2019); New Museum(2019); Museo d’Arte di Bologna(2019); Goldsmiths’ Centre for Contemporary Art(2018); Kunsthaus Bregenz(2018); Bass Museum of Art(2017); and Palais de Tokyo(2016).

• Screening Schedule

Dates: Tue. 21 November – Sun. 26 November 2023 
*Two screening sessions per day.

I. 14:00 – 15:12
Squeeze (2010) (20:00)
Spaghetti Blockchain (2019) (18:15)
Bowls Balls Souls Holes (2014) (27:54)
Mary’s Cherries (2004) (05:50)

II. 15:30 – 17:05
Sneeze (2012) (03:02)
REMOTE (2022) (91:50)

Please note that screening works are video installations, loop play, with physical elements and surround sound but for this occasion the artist agreed to show in the Art Hall.

*Photo Credit: Mika Rottenberg, Squeeze (Video Still), 2010, Single-channel video installation with sound and digital C-print, 20 min. Dimensions variable. © Mika Rottenberg, Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth