KW Institute for Contemporary Art reopens with a series of exhibitions reflecting on the work of South African artist Ian Wilson. The exhibition inaugurates the first season of director Krist Gruijthuijsen’s artistic program at KW, which examines Wilson’s work through three corresponding solo presentations by Hanne Lippard, Adam Pendleton, and Paul Elliman.

Wilson’s work will be physically and conceptually embedded within each exhibition, serving as a framework for exploring roles of language and communication, and the broader significance of interaction between human beings. The exhibition is therefore in constant flux and changes gradually throughout the course of its duration.

Dialogue lies at the core of Ian Wilson’s practice. Focusing on spoken language as an art form, he initially described his work as “oral communication” and later as “discussion”. Language replaces traditional representation as the quintessential vehicle for communication and knowledge. Wilson’s interest in the concentrated moment in which ideas emerge and are formulated in language is a guiding framework for the season. KW views the artist’s oeuvre as a reflection of its own mission: to explore relationships between the viewer and the viewed—or discussed—and the topical urgency of this interaction. To highlight the importance of Wilson’s practice, artists have been invited to concentrate on different aspects of his body of work and either incorporate them in their exhibitions or take them as inspiration for the production of new work.

In the spirit of Wilson’s practice, weekly commissioned performances, readings, lectures, and events titled The Weekends take place at KW, and throughout the city of Berlin.

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