Nonlocality

Nonlocality is a concept often associated with quantum physics, referring to the idea that objects or phenomena can be connected and influence each other without being physically close, transcending the limitations of space and time. In the context of the new group show at NIKA Project Space Paris, nonlocality serves as a metaphor for the way artists engage with cultural memory, traditional crafts, and identity, reaching across time and geography.

By exploring the interaction between nature and humans, the artists are not confined to a single cultural or geographical space but instead invoke a fluid connection between their heritage and contemporary concerns. This nonlocality mirrors the diasporic and nomadic histories many of these cultures share, where movement, migration, and cross-cultural influences shape a continuous, living tradition.

By deeply engaging with the traditional techniques of their local cultures and ancestors, each artist addresses the interaction between nature and humans. Animism becomes an important part of almost any southern or nomadic culture, simultaneously raising important ecological issues and concerns.

As visitors enter the space, they encounter The Forest Faces, a series of felt works by Nazilya Nagimova depicting various butterfly species. Through wing patterns, they mimic images of other animals to ward off predators. By magnifying these patterns, the artist reveals the variety of faces and designs, presenting the butterfly as the central bearer of forest mythology. In animism, there is a belief that everything—plants, animals, mountains, rivers, and even stones—possesses a spiritual essence or soul. Here, the butterfly symbolizes the primary messenger of another realm, a role it holds in nearly all ancient myths and religions, connecting the physical and spiritual worlds.

Inspired by the ancient nomadic past of the Tatars, Nazilya Nagimova turns to wool, a traditional material of her Tatar ancestors, using techniques inherited from the older generation of her family. A central piece of the exhibition is the video work Chulpan- the Mother, first shown at Documenta15 in Kassel in 2022. In this video, Nagimova captures the life of the ancient Tatar dwelling, Jort, that the artist constructed from felt in the shape of a snail as a symbol of the nomadic way of life, still characteristic of her ancestors. Felt, a material characteristic of ancient Tatar nomadic dwellings, here embodies the maternal warmth of protection (Chulpan in ancient Tatar means Venus), symbolizing perpetual wanderings in search of home. This theme is central to the exhibition, as all participating artists have experienced migration.

This raises questions about heritage and cultural traditions. What can you take with you? What brings thoughts back to the image of home—what materials, objects, scents?

In her objects and drawings, Nomin Zezegmaa combines material craft techniques with questions of Mongolian shamanism and cosmology. The artist’s work, imbued with a sense of sacredness, takes on various forms, typically referencing ancient imagery, mythology, and traditional objects of her native Mongolia. Her works connect the physical and the invisible, encouraging us to uncover deep connections between ourselves and elements of nature. Through her artistic visualization, Zezegmaa strives to share a compelling perspective on how we see, think, and imagine, revealing our interconnectedness with the earth itself—its waters, soils, and all life it sustains, using materials like horsehair, driftwood from the sacred shamanic lake Khuvsgul, and brass bells.

A renewed interest in ritual, shamanism, and transcendental experience often arises in contemporary art during times of global crises. But Nomin Zezegmaa’s works highlight cultures where this importance and interest have always been integral to life. To summarize the ideas of one of capitalism's foremost critics, German philosopher Walter Benjamin, especially those expressed in his essay On the Concept of History (1940), the loss of rituals that fostered an “ecstatic contact with the cosmos” posed a threat to humanity.  However, In contemporary society, it is often the artist who takes on the role of shaman and medium.

Adrian Pepe, working with the wool of Awassi sheep—the oldest and most popular breed of sheep in the Middle East—draws from the legend of Babylon as the capital of weaving. For Adrian Pepe, wool, with its varying shades from ochre to chestnut, not only celebrates ancient craft traditions but also creates a deep connection with the earth, where the material becomes a blank canvas on which symbolism, myths, and emotions come alive. His textile work embodies the reimagining of historically significant craft and the enduring traces of time-worn physical labor.

Born and raised in Mongolia, where animals are seen as supreme protectors of people and the land, Gegee Ayurzana uses her innovative technique of mixing oil paint with EVA resin and silicone on a translucent polyester surface. Taking the form of traditional Mongolian archaeological objects and artifacts carried by nomads, these figures seem to hover between walls, blurring the lines between traditional painting and resembling both insects and amulets filled with spiritual power. In general, her practice offers a contemporary reflection on themes raised by radical modernist painting, particularly regarding the autonomy of art and its formal and symbolic significance.

The works in the show create a space where ancient mytho-epic images and contemporary concepts merge, opening new ways of understanding and interaction. This connectivity highlights the synthesis between the material (wool, felt, craft) and the immaterial (memory, myth, and identity), creating a space where the ancient and modern coexist, and where boundaries between art, craft, and history are blurred.