Procession

Born in 1954, American artist Kiki Smith is a pioneer of contemporary sculpture and one of the most outstanding artists of our time. She has created a multifaceted body of work that explores political and social as well as philosophical and spiritual aspects of human nature. She investigates the human body without fear of taboos, humiliation, or the constraints of shame, opening up the conditio humana, the human condition, for public debate.

The exhibition was a glimpse into the spectrum of the New York-based artist’s diverse practice, tracing its development through her career up to the present. A major focus was placed on her sculpture from the beginnings in the 1980s to the present day.

Procession introduced Kiki Smith’s figures and narratives in a sumptuous display that rolled past the viewer like a ceremonial parade that highlights the power and charisma of her works. The title of the exhibition, Procession refers in a literal sense to Smith’s artistic oeuvre, which has developed over more than three decades and unfolds here. “Procession” is inscribed into Smith’s work as a central theme.

The exhibition, the first large-scale retrospective of the artist’s work in Europe, was curated by Petra Giloy-Hirtz and organized by Haus der Kunst, Munich, where it was first seen in spring 2018 and adapted by the Sara Hildén Art Museum in collaboration with the artist and the curator.