Troubled Waters

• © Nora Bibel, 6°09'50.9"S 106°50'04.4“E, from ‘Uncertain Homelands’
• © Nora Bibel, 6°06'41.0"S 106°48'23.1"E, from ‘Uncertain Homelands’
• © Nora Bibel, 51°40'36.8"N 13°09'13.7“E, from ‘Uncertain Homelands’
• © Nora Bibel, 26°36'26.6"S 16°13'15.1“E, from ‘Uncertain Homelands’
• © Nora Bibel, from ‘Uncertain Homelands’

Water – too much, or too little – is at the centre of Nora Bibel’s most recent project, exploring the effects of climate change in Indonesia, Namibia, and Germany. Drone shots of almost abstract-looking landscapes, portraits of people in their everyday environment, and images of objects associated with water management work together to create a multi-layered conceptualisation of water as a globally connected and inter-influential system.  

The exhibited photographs, which are on view at Berlin’s Haus am Kleistpark until October 1, 2023, oscillate between clear narratives and enigmatic abstraction. In Brandenburg, a man is standing amidst scorched tree trunks, his arms raised as though he was staging an intervention. In an almost surreal scene, an Indonesian boy relaxes on the floor of his flooded living room: heavy rain has turned his home into a pool. A Namibian farmer looks out at the surrounding desert – every patch of green is a treasured prize. Bird’s-eye-view images, captured with the help of a drone, show the world as a series of mysterious patterns.

On September 12, Nora Bibel and art historian Diana Thun will be in attendance for a Meet the Artist event, starting at 6.30 p.m.