To Breathe – AlUla by Kimsooja

A site-specific work of art designed as a prismatic glass spiral that reflects the light.

Following on the To Breathe permanent installation created for the Marie de Saint-Ouen station of the Paris metro system, France, New York and Seoul-based artist Kimsooja has adapted the design for an entirely different place: a desert in Saudi Arabia. Made for the 2024 edition of the Desert X AlUla art exhibition and its theme of In the Presence of Absence, To Breathe – AlUla draws inspiration from the surrounding arid landscape and from the interactions between wind, light and air. The theme encouraged artists to explore the concept of the unseen and the imperceptible. With To Breathe, Kimsooja reveals colors that are not usually visible to the naked eye.

Similarly to the Parisian installation, this artwork features diffraction grating film on the glass surfaces, converting the light into a rainbow of colors. The new installation is even more immersive, however. Shaped like a spiral, it invites visitors to embark on a meandering path, framed by vibrant, translucent walls that seem to shift as they display changing colors. The spiral shape reflects not only sunlight, but also the movement of the wind. Depending on the viewing angle, the installation appears different and offers different experiences to visitors. From within the walls, the colors envelop art lovers, with the surrounding cliffs jutting skyward above the spiral. From the exterior, the spiral projects its rainbow of hues onto the warm sand.

Held between February 9 – March 23 2024, the Desert X AlUla exhibition was curated by Maya El Khalil and Marcello Dantas, with art direction by Raneem Farsi and Neville Wakefield. Photography © Lance Gerber, Kimsooja Studio.