KAIROS

Kairos brings a selection of Pola Sieverding's recent series, highlighting the movement in her work from the scope of 'nature', represented in the exhibition by series such as Hermaphrodite and Stigma, to the scope of 'culture', represented by a series such as Valet Redux. While Hermaphrodite evokes through the image of the oyster an amoebic vision prior to sexual differentiation, to the acquisition of a body, of contour, a series like Valet Redux alludes to classical statues, which, similarly to the archeological findings of Greek and Roman sculpture, are fragmented, broken, deformed, compelling us to reevaluates cultural ideals of beauty. 

Although her aesthetic idiom revives what can be referred to as studio photography the title Sieverding chose for her exhibition is like the ancient Greek term for the decisive moment, which posits the notion of incidental photography at the heart of her practice. In addition to the different mediums and styles echoed in Sieverding's work, one can also underline the framework of surrealist photography and cinema, conveyed by Sieverding in this exhibition.

Ory Dessau