Ancestral Clouds Ancestral Claims Exhibition: Exploring Colonial Modernity at Kunsthalle Wien, Vienna

This exhibition by Denise Ferreira da Silva and Arjuna Neuman centers on their film 'Ancestral Clouds Ancestral Claims,' the latest in their 'Elemental Cinema' series. It explores how colonial modernity has shaped our relationship with the Earth, using the Atacama Desert in Chile as a focal point to examine themes of matter, material, and the elemental.

Kunsthalle Wien presents 'Ancestral Clouds Ancestral Claims,' the first solo exhibition in Austria by artists Denise Ferreira da Silva and Arjuna Neuman. The exhibition is anchored by a new film of the same name, which is part of their ongoing series 'Elemental Cinema' dedicated to the four elements. The artists employ an approach that uses matter, material, and the elemental as starting points, challenging the ingrained patterns of thinking and relating to the Earth established by European colonial modernity. They argue that seemingly self-evident categories and distinctions are underpinned by a profoundly unequal and racist global order. The film 'Ancestral Clouds Ancestral Claims' specifically investigates the persistence of modern relations to the Earth within the context of neoliberalism and Chile under the Pinochet regime. Shot in the Atacama Desert, a region known for its clear air, prehistoric drawings, and historical labor camps used during the dictatorship, the work contrasts the astronomical observations made there with the hidden stories of violence. The artists experiment with simultaneously thinking and sensing various states of material existence—quantic, cosmic, organic, mechanic, historic, and geologic—weaving together different times and places to reveal the planetary scope and historical depth of critical geopolitical issues. The film uses the element of air, represented by the wind traveling from the Sahara to the Amazon and along the Pacific coast, to narrate stories of migration, displacement, and an alternative geography shaped by these forces.

The film 'Ancestral Clouds Ancestral Claims' starts every hour on the hour, alternating between German and English subtitles. The exhibition is located at Karlsplatz, Kunsthalle Wien. Further details regarding visitor access or specific ticketing requirements are not explicitly provided on this page, but an exhibition guide is available for download. An extensive public program, including workshops, performances, and discursive formats, is also part of the exhibition's offerings in cooperation with various academic and cultural institutions.