— 09.02.2025
RepairReborn. KADER ATTIA
RepairReborn is the first institutional exhibition of Franco-Algerian artist Kader Attia in Colombia. This exhibition affirms Attia’s connection to both physical and mental repair. His works are globally recognized for their investigative approach to complex themes. RepairReborn reveals how Attia employs a wide range of techniques to explore his profound research on the concept of repair. Through videos, installations, sculptures, collages, and photography, the exhibition presents the artist’s various approaches to the different types of possible reparations for the traumas of modern post-colonial societies. The exhibition aims to create a dialogue around the historical collective traumas of Colombian society, addressing the concept of repair through creation and transformation.
- Kader Attia was born in 1970 in France and grew up between Paris and Algeria. He currently lives and works between Paris and Berlin.
- Before pursuing higher education, he spent time in Congo and South America. His time in these regions, marked by a colonial history and a multi-ethnic reality, inspired him to analyze the effects of historical and cultural traumas.
- His research into the traumas of non-Western societies after colonial periods led him to the concept of repair, a philosophical investigation that remains highly relevant today and is applied across various fields.
- Attia’s work demonstrates his commitment to creating spaces for dialogue where historical traumas, which leave physical or mental scars on populations, can be addressed.
- His exhibition at MAMBO is a manifesto of his deep interests in the concepts of wounds—both physical and symbolic—and repair. Attia distances himself from the Western “myth of perfection,” which seeks to erase scars and the marks of time, instead giving them visibility and importance as symbols of resilience and the capacity to confront trauma. In his vision, the wound is not a sign of weakness but an inherent part of the repair process, highlighting the importance of recognizing damage and its traces as key elements of healing and transformation.
RepairReborn presents the wide range of artistic languages in Attia’s work, emphasizing his versatility and the depth of his research. Through his works, the exhibition illustrates how art can be a tool for repairing historical, personal, physical, and mental wounds. The healing power of art is a central feature of his work and one of the key elements that creates a safe space for dialogue. Attia explores how creative processes can contribute to the repair of both individual and collective wounds and traumas.
For the creation of On Silence (2021) in Colombia, the artist insisted that the piece be made using previously used prosthetic limbs. This choice takes on special significance in the context of Colombia’s history and the statistics that position the country as the second-most affected by landmine victims, a legacy of its internal conflict. The work thus gains a deep dimension that encompasses memory, trauma, and the inheritance of a complex past. It stands as a testament to the healing power of art and becomes an authentic manifesto of Attia’s practice, as reflected in the title of this exhibition: RepairReborn.
About the artist
Of Algerian and French origin, Kader Attia (France, 1970) is one of the most prominent figures of his generation. Before studying at the École Supérieure des Arts Appliqués de Duperré, the École Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris, and the Escola Massana, Center for Art and Design in Barcelona, he spent time in the Congo and South America, where his inspiration emerged from the legacies of Western power in colonized societies. In 2016, he founded La Colonie, a space for dialogues on decolonization and for the ongoing dissemination of diverse forms of knowledge. His work is internationally recognized for its investigative approach to the theme of repair.
Kader Attia’s work has been featured in group exhibitions and biennials such as the 15th Sharjah Biennial, the 12th Gwangju Biennial, the 12th Shanghai Biennial, the 12th Manifesta in Palermo, the 57th Venice Biennale, dOCUMENTA(13) in Kassel, Met Breuer in New York, Kunsthalle Vienna, MoMA New York, Tate Modern in London, Centre Pompidou in Paris, and The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in New York.
Among his solo exhibitions are those held at MATHAF, Doha; Kunsthaus Zürich; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley; The Hayward Gallery, London; Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona; MacVal in Vitry-sur-Seine; The Power Plant, Toronto; Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney; SMAK, Ghent; Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt; Musée Cantonal des Beaux Arts in Lausanne; Beirut Art Center; Whitechapel Gallery, London; and KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin, among others.
In 2016, Kader Attia was awarded the Marcel Duchamp Prize, the Joan Miró Prize, and the Yanghyun Prize in Seoul in 2017.
The project is made possible with the support of the Institut français of Paris, the French Embassy in Colombia, and the Institut français of Colombia and with the exceptional support of the Fundación CIREC, the Instituto Técnico Industrial Centro Don Bosco, and the Fundación Fuente de Esperanza – Fundafe.
Credits: Michael Danner
Photo by: Juan Echeverria y Esteban Suárez (2022).
Curator: Eugenio Viola: Born in Naples, Italy, he is a curator, art critic, and holds a PhD in Methods and Methodologies of Archaeological and Historical-Artistic Research from the University of Salerno. He worked as Chief Curator at the Museo d’Arte Contemporanea DonnaRegina – MADRE (Naples) from 2009 to 2016. There, he was responsible for research on the museum’s collection and co-curated the first large-scale exhibitions in Italy by Boris Mikhailov, Francis Alÿs, and Daniel Buren, among others. From 2017 to 2019, he was Chief Curator at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts – PICA and is currently Chief Curator at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Bogotá – MAMBO. In 2016 and 2019, Viola was recognized as the best Italian curator by Artribune magazine. Likewise, Viola curated the Estonian Pavilion at the 56th Venice Art Biennale (Jaanus Samma, ‘NSFW- Not Suitable For Work. A Chairman’s Tale’, Palazzo Malipiero, Venice). Afterwards, it was organized at the Museum of Occupations and Freedom in Tallinn, Estonia; an exhibition listed among the 15 best exhibitions in the world in 2016 by Hyperallergic, a leading American voice in contemporary art and culture perspectives. His curatorial practice has focused on experiences and theories related to new media, performance, and bodily poetics, about which he has published various articles and given numerous lectures. His writings have been published in international media such as ArtForum, Exit Express, and Flash Art. He has worked with important artists such as Marina Abramović, Regina José Galindo, Francis Alÿs, ORLAN, Kimsooja, Carlos Martiel, Teresa Margolles, Amalia Pica, Carlos Garaicoa, and Maria José Arjona, among others. Viola was appointed Curator of the Italian Pavilion 2022 for the 59th International Art Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, which opened on April 23, 2022.
