Exploring Echo Chambers at Kunsthaus Baselland in Basel
Contemporary art often serves as a lens through which we examine our relationship with the world, encouraging us to look closer at pressing societal questions. At Kunsthaus Baselland in the Dreispitz district, a new lower-floor exhibition invites visitors to consider the ways we amplify and solidify what we learn. Titled Echo Chambers, the showcase brings together works by Sophia Al-Maria, Regina de Miguel, and Dadi Wirz to examine contemporary themes surrounding identity, ecology, and our changing connection to nature.
What to Expect from the Echo Chambers Exhibition
The exhibition serves as an immersive environment structured around shared human experiences and environmental concerns. Alongside the primary installations, the institution has partnered with the Department for Art History of the University of Basel to host special public educational formats, including a dedicated seminar focusing on materiality and sensuality in the work of Eva Lootz.
Dadi Wirz: A Cartography of Memory
Among the featured pieces is Rivers by Dadi Wirz, a multi-part installation that functions as an intimate geographical archive. Born in Papua New Guinea and having lived in various international locations throughout his life, Wirz utilizes the concept of flowing water as a personal allegory. The piece gathers distinctive sections of rivers he has visited—ranging from globally prominent waterways like the Nile to local rivers such as the Birs. By translating these river courses into metal plates and pairing them with hand-drawn notes and coordinates, the artist creates a diary-like chronicle of a life in motion.
Regina de Miguel: Tracing Historical and Ecological Exploitation
Regina de Miguel’s video work Nekya, a Film River directs attention to the Rio Tinto mines in Spain, one of the world's oldest active mining sites. The piece explores the deep-rooted connections between colonial extraction, historical labor struggles, and contemporary ecological debates surrounding lithium mining and green transitions. Through a collage-like assembly of images, the work investigates how environmental exploitation and the concentration of power continue to impact vulnerable ecosystems and populations.
Sophia Al-Maria: Visions of Future Landscapes
In her immersive video piece Beast Type Song, Sophia Al-Maria presents an atmospheric journey through urban landscapes caught between science fiction and reality. Following young people navigating post-apocalyptic scenes, the work raises questions about ecological collapse and the future of human communities. Rather than leaning entirely into pessimism, the installation highlights the resilience of the body and imagines identity as an open, fluid concept unbound by rigid classifications.
Visitors interested in planning a trip can explore more cultural highlights around the city using the Musemap (musemap.art) guide, or browse the current schedule on the what's on exhibitions page and check out the city map view.
