Nina Beier
Goods
In her first solo exhibition in Portugal, Danish artist Nina Beier occupies the contemporary pavilion and part of the Albuquerque Foundation garden. The exhibition brings together sculptures and installations produced over the last decade.
About the Exhibition
Beier’s production draws on objects coveted throughout history, materials valued by capitalist society, or iconographies that directly or indirectly symbolise ideals of power and strength from a social, political and economic point of view. The artist does not execute her works personally, at least not in the conventional sense associated with artistic practice. She researches the ‘market’ until she finds the elements she is looking for.
It is significant, from this perspective, that porcelain objects appear repeatedly in her work, because these pieces have been an unquestionable demonstration of social status for centuries. Almost all the elements that converge in Beier’s work have had another life before, often a practical, utilitarian one. In this sense, her practice can be read as a long reflection on Marxist concepts such as ‘use value’ and ‘exchange value’.
The exhibition invites a critical reinterpretation of the objects in the collection and a reflection on how value, power and desire are intertwined in art and society.
Selection of Works by the Artist
