Reproduction

About

The German-Belgian artist is renowned for incorporating elements from playgrounds, zoos and amusement parks into his work, often juxtaposing them with scientific investigations and experiments. Carsten Höller has a PhD in biology, and his scientific background is crucial to his artistic practice where his main concerns are the experiment, the body, natural science and human behaviour. His large-scale installations engage and affect us, at times they even experiment with us – in merry-go-rounds, roller coasters, salt baths, strobe light, scents etc.

In the exhibition Reproduction at CC, Höller examines the theme of ’reproduction’, adopting an approach which is at once scientific and artistic. Reproduction starts with cell division, and it is precisely the principle of division that underpins his immersive installation in CC’s large Hall 1. The hall is transformed into a large biology-based playscape where, for example, we are encouraged to crawl through the pips of a die, and where slow-moving merry-go-rounds and corridors of mirrors affect our sensory perceptions. The second part of the exhibition deals with the way in which our behaviour is encoded by regulatory mechanisms already in infancy, and how childhood memories are stored in the brain. The exhibition focuses on reproduction, for better or for worse, and nature’s amazing ability to perpetually create and recreate itself.

CC’s exhibition is born of an unusual partnership with Kunsten in Aalborg, which presents a parallel solo exhibition by Carsten Höller. The double exhibition will provide guests with a unique opportunity to experience one of the biggest names in the global art scene through a wide selection of works ranging from some of his early pieces to new site-specific installations.