Ursula Biemann: Becoming Earth / Rodrigo Braga: Nullpunkt [Point Zero]

On September 26, 7 pm, the MuseumsQuartier Wien will open its exhibitions Becoming Earth by Ursula Biemann and Nullpunkt [Point Zero] in its exhibition space MQ Freiraum. 

Ursula Biemann: Becoming Earth
Ursula Biemann operates at the intersection of art, science and activism. The renowned Swiss artist is best known for her video pieces and multimedia installations, which reflect complex issues such as migration, globalization, the environment, and feminist theory. In her projects, Biemann often combines documentary methods with artistic approaches to open up deeper insights into geopolitical and ecological issues. Her interdisciplinary approach creates works that are not only aesthetically pleasing, but also stimulate critical reflection.

At the centre of this exhibition are video works from the past ten years, in which Biemann explores different lived realities, ecological imperatives, and natural conditions: Forest Law (2014), Acoustic Ocean (2018), Forest Mind (2021) and Devenir Universidad (2019–2023). She sums up this artistic and creative phase in the title “Becoming Earth”. By this, she understands a new, altered worldview that she has developed in the course of her involvement with ecological issues. This marks the shift from a capitalistic, anthropocentric perception of the world—one governed by the modernist paradigm of the human/nature divide, and which favors colonialist and extractivist ways of thinking and living—to an ecocentric, holistic view that allows for different cognitive methods and incorporates various fields of knowledge.

In the artist’s own words: “Based on field research in the forests of the Colombian Amazon, my recent art videos and collaborative action projects bring together different strands of knowledge about the intelligence of nature and the connections between all the creatures that inhabit these spaces.” Biemann is as sensitive as she is astute in her observation and analysis of the social and knowledge-based systems that shape our relationship to nature.

She is particularly interested in indigenous knowledge, which does not serve as a means to control and dominate nature, but is governed by the principle of symbiosis. The aim of this knowledge is the ethical coexistence of all things, animate and inanimate.

In her multi-layered videos, Biemann interweaves atmospheric and documentary landscape shots with science-fiction poetry, individual narratives, cosmological observations and scientific findings to depict a changing planetary reality and tell alternative, forward-looking stories.

Rodrigo Braga: Nullpunkt [Point Zero]
In his expansive installation Nullpunkt [Point Zero] Rodrigo Braga draws upon works from his series Ponto Zero (Point Zero), which he has been developing since 2018. Photographs, and sculptures are complemented by textile works, object arrangements, and mural drawings created on site. Braga uses materials such as charcoal and limestone, an archaic substance formed hundreds of millions of years ago. The black-and-white hues of these materials represent the interdependent dualities of impermanence and growth, inner life and outer world, creation and destruction. These materials are repeatedly combined in his works, conveying the constant tension and interaction of opposing yet interdependent forces. 

The egg and the eye are key symbols in Ponto Zero. The egg symbolizes the beginning of life, fragility, and potential, while the eye stands for consciousness, insight, and the ability to see and understand the world. In the center of the room, the artist positions seating around the central object, which represents a symbiosis of egg and eye. Visitors are invited to linger, to meditate, or to reflect on and talk about what they perceive. Braga creates an artistic reflection on the origins, fragility, and fundamental processes of life, combining personal and universal perspectives.

In his artistic practice Rodrigo Braga explores the complex relationships between humans and their environment through various artistic media such as performance, sculpture, video, photography, drawing, and painting. Highlighting the utilitarian exploitation of nature, his works indirectly touch on central aspects of current socio-ecological discourse. Braga addresses themes such as transformation, identity, and the vulnerability of the human body, using his own physical presence to create symbolically charged pieces that evoke emotional responses.

Curator Verena Kaspar-Eisert, Chief Curator MQ

About the artists
Ursula Biemann, born 1955 in Küsnacht, Switzerland, is an artist, author and video essayist who deals with ecological and socially relevant topics in her strongly research-oriented work. Her artistic practice often takes Biermann to remote places, from the Amazon rainforest to Arctic ice deserts. In earlier works, Biermann dealt with the gender-specific dynamics of migration, indigenous science and other post-colonial issues.

Rodrigo Braga, born 1976 in Manaus, studied Fine Arts at the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco in Recife, Brazil. His work has been exhibited as a solo presentation at the Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2016) and in 2012 at the the 30th Bienal de São Paulo. He received the PIPA Prize - Musea de Arte Moderna, Rio de Janeiro and the Emerging Talent Prize of the Museu de Arte de São Paulo (MASP). Rodrigo Braga lives and works in Rio de Janeiro de Janeiro and Paris.