The Secret Garden

I can still recall the first time I was confronted with Nathalie Djurberg’s video work. It was the summer of 2012, just before starting my BA degree in Fine Arts. The group show was called ‘Riotous Baroque’, curated by Bice Curiger (very typical Zurich art scene, you see) and it was at the Kunsthaus Zurich.

I always start viewing a show clockwise, so I started from the left side. The projection was happening in a tiny room that had a bench, it was inevitably an invitation to spend more time with the work, more than you would actually plan to (too bad the bench was always taken). Djurberg’s projection was the only work in the exhibition that really captured my attention and I found myself intrigued, not only by the limboed black ballerina, but also by the audience’s reaction.

It takes two to get the work done. Djurberg collaborates closely with Hans Berg, who is in charge of the musical composition and the lighting for the video works, they also share a personal relationship (couples that work together, stay together).

‘The Secret Garden’ is the first exhibition that Djurberg and Berg will show in Western Australia. The work opens up a world of strange delights and encounters, bringing a modern twist on Alice in Wonderland surrealism.

where: Perth Cultural Centre, Perth; Australia

Vernissage: February 11th
Exhibition runs until April 24th

Brought to you by: Dimitria Markou