Kader Attia

In May 2027, MASS MoCA will open the largest exhibition of Kader Attia’s work in the U.S. to date. Over nearly three decades, the Algerian-French artist has created works that powerfully illuminate the ruinous impacts of colonialism and the dominance of western ideologies across the globe. Through poetic forms, his practice reveals how these conditions permeate all aspects of life, including, formatively, the architecture and urban spaces we inhabit. Attia recasts everyday objects — from sugar cubes to consumer packaging to birdcages — as tangible expressions of geopolitical conditions and their human consequences.

In his newest works, Attia considers how contemporary manifestations of colonization (and capitalism) affect all of us, in the forms of the global climate crisis and the crisis of the digital age. A focused survey, the MASS MoCA presentation brings together works spanning twenty years and includes sculpture, installation, video, and photography.

Join us for the Opening Celebration on May 29, 2027. Learn more.

About the Artist:

Kader Attia (b. 1970, Seine-Saint-Denis, France) grew up in Paris and Algeria. Solo exhibitions of his work have been presented at CAAC, Sevilla (2025); MUAC, Mexico City (2025); Arter, Istanbul (2025); MO.CO. , Montpellier (2024); MAMBO, Bogotá (2024); Jim Thompson Art Center, Bangkok (2024); Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (2021); Sesc Pompeia São Paulo, (2020); Kunsthaus Zürich (2020); Hayward Gallery, London (2019); Palais de Tokyo, Paris (2018); The Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, Sydney (2017); Museum für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt (2016); Beirut Art Center (2014); Whitechapel Art Gallery, London (2013); KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin (2013); Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris (2012); Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle (2008); Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (2007); BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Gateshead (2007); among many other institutions. Attia has been featured in the 61st Venice Biennale (2026), the 36th Bienal de São Paulo (2025), the 13th Gwangju Biennale (2020), Sharjah Biennial 13 (2017), dOCUMENTA (13) (2012). He is the recipient of several notable awards including the Prix de sculpture (2026), Joan Miró Prize (2017), and the Prix Marcel Duchamp (2016). He was Curator of the 12th Berlin Biennale (2022) and in 2027 will curate the 7th edition of the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Attia lives and works in Berlin and Paris and is Professor of Time-based Media at the HFBK Hamburg. He is represented by Lehmann Maupin, Regen Projects and Galleria Continua.

Image: Kader Attia, Untitled (Rainsticks), 2024. 28 rainsticks, rotating motors, metal stands, 111 x 10 1/2 x 17 1/2 inches each. Installation view: Kader Attia: Descent into Paradise at MO.CO., Montpellier, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist and Regen Projects, Los Angeles. Photo: Laurent Lecat. © Kader Attia