Alicja Kwade, who will be presenting two abstract sculptures dominated by large metal frames that she described as “a kind of planetary system.”Credit: Luise Müller-Hofstege
The Met’s Roof Garden Commission is a rite of summer for New Yorkers and a world stage for artists lucky enough to be chosen. This year’s fortunate selection is the Berlin-based artist Alicja Kwade, who will be presenting two abstract sculptures dominated by large metal frames that she described as “a kind of planetary system.”
The installation, “ParaPivot,” will be on view from April 16 through Oct. 27, the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition in New York.
“It’s a big honor for an artist,” Ms. Kwade said in a telephone interview. “New York still stands for one of the highest levels human beings can reach.”
Born in Poland in 1979, Ms. Kwade explores concepts of space, time, science and philosophy through sculpture, video and photography.
Max Hollein, the Met’s director, said in a statement that the rooftop setting “presents a compelling site for Kwade, whose works offer an expansive view of the history of art and science.”
Her sculpture for the 57th Venice Biennale in 2017, “WeltenLinie (One in a Time),” featured rocks, a tree trunk and chairs surrounded by mirrors. (The New York Times described it as cinematic.) In Central Park in 2015, she created “Against the Run,” a 16-foot-tall version of the classic New York City street clock that simultaneously ran backward and forward, while still keeping time, a commission by the Public Art Fund.
