Curatorial
  1. The Forbidden Fruit: Object of Desire
  2. Mind the Gap
  3. Gut Feelings
  4. Home Girls


Writing
Events
  1. TRANSDECISION
  2. Quema
  3. Limpia
  4. A Life In A Weekend: Making the LYNX cover
Mark


1. Goshka Macuga: An interview


Goshka Macuga Born From Stone, 2024. Photo: Jason Alden.

Excerpt from online article:

Discussing her recent exhibition, Goshka Macuga delves deeper into her expansive range of projects, influences, and methods of working. As a Warsaw-born, London-based interdisciplinary artist, Macuga (b. 1967) blurs the borders of curator, researcher, and collaborator, creating projects in which the past and present intersect. Nominated for the Turner Prize in 2008, her practice revolves around retelling ancient stories in a modern way, drinking from the well of mythology and old fables to make sense of the present cultural and political landscape. Site and location are the genesis for her works, which reference social-political movements and ideologies, drawing connections across time. The site of an ancient Roman temple in central London was the starting point for her second BLOOMBERG commission, Born From Stone, on display at London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE until 18 January 2025.


Maggie Kuzan: For your current project, Born From Stone (2024), you have carefully selected works on loan from the Imperial War Museums to curate a modern retelling of the ancient Roman myth of Mithras. What factors, concerns or questions circulate in your mind when ongoing the selection process for a new project?

Goshka Macuga: In approaching any new project, the first factor I consider is its context. This involves examining the function, history, or collection of the institution hosting the commission or exhibition. For Born From Stone, a site-specific installation at the London Mithraeum Bloomberg SPACE, I engaged deeply with the site’s unique historical layers. I aimed to construct an exhibition that not only addressed these complexities but also hinted at current global political issues. These references are intentionally symbolic, encouraging viewers to form their own connections rather than providing direct interpretations. As such, the paintings I selected, on loan from the Imperial War Museums, depict scenes of fire and explosions from WW2, resonating with contemporary conflicts often seen in the news. By layering these powerful images with Mithraic symbolism, I wanted to create a space where the past and present intersect, offering viewers multiple layers of meaning to explore.
Posted on:
29/01/2025

Author:
Maggie Kuzan

Continue reading: Contemporary Lynx online weekly magazine
Running on Cargo