In search of the mechanized soul

In Horn's art piece Kiss of the Rhinoceros (1989), two large metal arms, each with a metal rhino horn at the end, form almost a full circle. The arms slowly pull apart, and when the horns touch at the top of the circle, a current flows between them. The piece "breathes with the rhythmic opening and closing of the steel arms".

"Horn's presentation of human body postures in the form of a semi-mechanical being comprising animal, metal, and mechanical parts, questions the primacy or purity of the human form," Melanie Kress, a contemporary art curator based in New York City, comments.

In addition to hosting significant solo exhibitions at prestigious international institutions such as the Tate Gallery in London, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, and the National Gallery in Berlin, Horn has also participated in many important events and group exhibitions, such as the Venice Biennale and the Carnegie International art exhibition.

Throughout her highly acclaimed career, Horn has received numerous awards, including the Praemium Imperiale Tokyo. In 2019, major retrospectives of her significant works were featured at the Museum Tinguely in Basel and the Pompidou-Metz branch. Her large-scale sculpture, The Milk of Dreams, was exhibited at the 59th Venice Biennale last year.

The Beijing exhibition will last until Aug 12.

If you go

Hua International, D08-3, 798 East Street, Art District 2, Jiuxianqiao Road, Chaoyang district, Beijing.

10:30 am-6:30 pm, closed on Sunday and Monday, until Aug 12.