I Build My Skin With Rocks

"My ghosts come from the past and from the future."

The work of Sandra Mujinga (b. Goma, DRC, 1989; lives and works in Berlin and Oslo) explores the body and its presence and the relationships between human and nonhuman beings. In sculptures, installations, works on video, performances, photographs, music, soundscapes, and writings, Mujinga lays out poignant critical reflections on what cultural production can achieve and on how an artist's presence is perceived and disseminated beyond her own work. On occasion of her receipt of the 2021 Preis der Nationalgalerie, the artist presents the new video installation I Build My Skin with Rocks at the Hamburger Bahnhof - Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart. At its center stands a hybrid creature-half human, half elephant-whose appearance is informed by Mujinga's pronounced interest in the worldbuilding techniques of science fiction as well as animals' survival strategies. The publication of the same title offers the first comprehensive overview of the artist's multifaceted output, rounded out by probing essays by Daniel Milnes, Thangam Ravindranathan, Wong Binghao, and Kathryn Yusoff that challenge established narratives around Sandra Mujinga's oeuvre and chart fresh perspectives in postcolonial theory, animal studies, gender and queer perspectives. The biennial Preis der Nationalgalerie has been awarded since 2000 and honors the work of contemporary artists under 40. Previous recipients have included Cyprien Gaillard, Anne Imhof, and Monica Bonvicini