dominique gonzalez-foerster presents alienarium 5 at serpentine

Alien encounters at Serpentine

‘An anti-War of the Worlds’ vision’ is how Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster describes her sci-fi inspired installation at Serpentine’s South Gallery in London. On view from April 14th until September, Alienarium 5 is an immersive, supernatural and sensory environment that draws from over 20 years of the artist’s explorations into science-fiction and alien life. It’s also Gonzalez-Foerster’s first major solo show in the UK since 2008 when she exhibited TH.2058 in Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall.

With this exhibition, Gonzalez-Foerster imagines possible encounters with extra-terrestrials and lets the audience do so too through a multi-sensory experience that tingles all the senses. In the creation of this supernatural environment, the artist prompts viewers to ask:What if aliens were in love with us? What would change, why and how?

installation view, Alienarium 5 | image by Hugo Glendinning

Created specifically for Serpentine, Alienarium 5 features mostly new works and occupies both outdoor and indoor spaces. As visitors approach the South Gallery from London’s Kensington Gardens, they’ll find an alien sculpture developed by Gonzalez-Foerster in collaboration with writer and philosopher Paul B. Preciado. From the park, visitors will also experience elements of Holorama, a new soundscape by Gonzalez-Foerster and musician Perez.

installation view, Alienarium 5 | image by Hugo Glendinning

Once inside, Alienarium 5 continues with visual, sonic, olfactory, tactile and live engagements. The installation includes a 360-degree panorama, a scent collaboration with Barnabé Fillion of Arpa Studios, and a new virtual reality art piece produced by Vive Arts and developed by Lucid Realities. Designed to accommodate five people at a time, the VR experience transports visitors into a deep space environment, where they can really encounter extra-terrestrial beings and inhabit their glowing, abstract forms.

installation view, Alienarium 5 | image by Hugo Glendinning

‘Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster is an artist synonymous with experimentation, who career has spanned decades of research into sensorial and existential dimensions of human life,’ say Bettina Korek, CEO, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Artistic Director, Serpentine.

‘As such, we are honored that she has accepted our invitation to create a bold, immersive environment that we hope will change the ways that those who experience it think, see and feel. It is with great anticipation that we look forward to inviting audiences to encounter her phenomenological ‘mise-en-space,’ to quote the artist herself.’

installation view, Alienarium 5 | image by Hugo Glendinning
installation view, Alienarium 5 | image by Hugo Glendinning