Artist Hicham Berrada, ADAGP Hicham Berrada
Présage, tranche (Portent, cross-section), 2007 – ongoing
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FEW people get to build their own worlds, but this photo shows the fish tank-sized creation of Paris-based artist . He grows whole landscapes in vitrines with waxes, acids, metal salts and colloids, using basic scientific processes such as electrolysis, evaporation and precipitation. Sometimes, he captures their oddly animate behaviour on stop-motion video.
The work pictured here was part of the series Présage, tranche (Portent, cross-section). Berrada said he chose the conditions, including the temperature, acidity level and materials, by proceeding “like a scientist, alternating experimentation and intuition”.
“I’m not their creator,” he said in a discussion with the art critic Mouna Mekouar in 2018. “I didn’t design or invent them. My role is to meet all the conditions necessary for them to exist.” Recently, he has created eerily lifelike, abstract forms in digital media by building on algorithms of biological growth and development. This and more of the artist’s work form , a new exhibition at London’s Hayward Gallery from 3 July to 18 August.
