Artists

Abdulhamid Kircher

Press release

Rotting from Within is Abdulhamid Kircher’s first presentation of the eponymously titled body of work and the first exhibition of the artist at carlier | gebauer. The title captures a feeling which the artist describes as “the unearthing of my father and the generational trauma that exists within the patriarchs of my family; subsequently the task of uncovering my own self amidst the things passed down”. The deeply personal aspect of Kircher’s practice is mirrored in his site-specific approach to the blank exhibition space of the white cube. These installations include photographs taken by the artist, as well as archival images and biographical artifacts. Kircher and his partner, Zoe Bullock, create each of the installations in reaction to the space, working on site with an inkjet printer, choosing to vary the format of the prints with each iteration of the installation, rearranging the prints on the exhibition walls. With this approach a constant flux emerges in the work, introducing fluidity in the seemingly fixed medium of photography. Kircher’s installation requires the artist’s hand, even though as photographs they could be potentially endlessly reproduced from afar. This present absence is a recurring theme in Kircher’s work, playing out on different levels and pulling the viewer into his own world.