Big Be–Hide

Alicja Kwade’s Big Be–Hide, 2018, is now on view in the sculpture garden adjacent to the National Gallery of Iceland, in front of the Kvennaskólinn, at Fríkirkjuvegur. The outdoor sculpture, on loan from i8 gallery until May 1, 2026, is part of a series of works in which the artist challenges conventional ways of seeing by utilizing mirrors as optical devices. Playing with notions of hiding and presence, Big Be–Hide comprises two stones – a boulder and the same stone cast in aluminium – separated by a two-sided mirror. Depending on the viewer’s vantage point, the rocks alternately appear to be reflected in a mirror image or seen through the glass, creating an uncanny doubling effect that overlays reality and illusion.

The Polish German artist Alicja Kwade was born in Katowice, Poland, in 1979, during a time the country was still under communist rule. She and her family eventually escaped to West Germany. At the age of 19, she moved to Berlin, where she studied sculpture at the Berlin University of the Arts from 1999 to 2005. Kwade’s work is featured in major collections worldwide.