Brigitte Kowanz, UN Climate Change Conference Paris 30.11.2015 12.12.2015, 2019

2019

Medium

Neon, mirror, aliminum and lacquer

Dimensions

95 × 130 cm

Edition

Ex. 2/3

Status

In Gallery Collection

Collect24 Art ID

C24-156211

Brigitte Kowanz‘ work with the title UN Climate Change Conference Paris November 30th, 2015 December 12th, 2015 (2019) alludes to the dates of the Paris Climate Agreement, which obliges all signing parties to limit human-induced global warming. In Morse code, the artist has inscribed these significant dates of negotiations onto the spiral-shaped curved fluorescent tubes, which are both a testimony to contemporary European history and a reminder of the global responsibility of each individual. In other works from the Codes and Cables series, such as World Wide Web 03/12/1989 08/06/1991 (2017) or Email 08/02/1984 08/03/1984 (2020), Kowanz immortalized the milestones of political unification and digital revolution, as well as the caesura of our present, which have brought about much social and political upheaval. The UN Climate Change Conference Paris November 30/11/2015 12/12/2015 (2019) differs from these works with its more open approach to neon and space. The neon tubes transcend the boundaries of the glass and mirror showcase into the real space, thus opening up new entanglements between reflections, light, space and the viewer. Kowanz describes her interest in this as follows: “The viewers are confronted with themselves in the reflection while standing inside the object. It is more than a typical mirror image. In these works, viewers find themselves in virtually generated rooms in which I try to confront them with philosophy, language, and acute socio-political issues. This is an important phenomenon and is accompanied by aspects of natural science. The observation and presence of light is actually very elementary, something that everyone can experience day by day.”