Nadia Kaabi-Linke
∗1978, Tunisia
Through her work, Nadia Kaabi-Linke makes visible the power dynamics and forces that control our coexistence, yet which most often remain hidden. Her site-specific installations often physically engage the viewer. In her work TheMumble of the Homecoming Oak, realised in Lyon in 2022, the artist drew a parallel between the cutting down of trees and the loss of loved ones. In collaboration with people who had suffered loss, she created a room-filling sculpture with the branches and leaves of an oak tree, whereby the stories and memories ofthese people could be heard as vibrating sounds in the branches of the tree. ForBiennale Gherdëina, Nadia Kaabi-Linke has transformed an underground space in the pedestrian zone of Ortisei. The roots of various trees that fell as a result of summer storms protrude from the floor of the room, winding their way through the concrete. In the underground cellar, the forest thus seems to penetrate the urban environment, reclaiming a space taken away from it over the course of theurban development process. The roots in the built space create an obstacle, so visitors need to move with caution. However, in this scenario amid anguish and fascination, there are also places to pause, observe and reflect. What would our world be like if we went back to sharing our living space with the forest, animals and plants? Kaabi-Linke offers us an unusual and visually powerful experience of closeness that transforms the modern cult of exploitation into a respectful attitude of listening and receiving.
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