The first solo exhibition in Germany by Delcy Morelos presents a new, large-scale installation at Hamburger Bahnhof that explores themes of earth, Indigenous knowledge, regeneration, and the interconnectedness of nature and humanity. The work, “Madre”, which directly engages with the form, light, climate, sound, and atmosphere of the exhibition space, dialogues with the actions, sculptures, and environments of Joseph Beuys, which are on view concurrently in the permanent collection. For Hamburger Bahnhof, Colombian artist Morelos creates a fragrant, fertile, and immersive work that illustrates humanity’s estrangement from the earth that sustains it. 

Delcy Morelos is renowned for her sensorially rich, immersive sculptures and installations made from materials such as soil, clay, grass, cinnamon, and cloves. Over the past three decades, Morelos (born 1967 in Tierralta, Colombia) has worked across drawing, painting, sculpture, and installation. Based in Bogotá, her artistic practice engages with the colonial legacy and the cosmologies of the Americas. She describes her art as a weaving together of materials, elements, and knowledge. Since her first earthwork “Eva” in 2012, she has been in an ongoing dialogue with the earth, a conversation she invites the public to join. In 2022, her sculpture “Earthly Paradise” was showcased at the Venice Biennale. In 2024, her works were featured at venues such as Dia Chelsea in New York, the Museo Moderno in Buenos Aires, the Pulitzer Arts Foundation in St. Louis, the Astrup Fearnley Museum in Oslo, and the CAAC Centro Andaluz de Arte Contemporáneo in Seville.

Following Naama Tsabar and Andrea Pichl, this is the third contemporary art installation by a woman artist to be shown in parallel with the collection presentation of Joseph Beuys in the Kleihueshalle at Hamburger Bahnhof.

Morelos’ installation provides a counter position to the actions, sculptures and environments of the Joseph Beuys works that constitute one of four permanent collection displays at Hamburger Bahnhof.

Exhibition Catalogue

Accompanying the exhibition is the 13th edition of the Hamburger Bahnhof catalogue series, published by Silvana Editoriale Milano, comprising 82 pages, available at the Hamburger Bahnhof bookstore and through the Buchhandlung Walther König webshop for €12. ISBN: 9788836660780

The publication was made possible by Angel Nieto.

Curators

The exhibition is curated by Catherine Nichols, curator at Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart, with assistant curator Agnes Rameder, Hamburger Bahnhof – Nationalgalerie der Gegenwart.

Supported by Hamburger Bahnhof International Companions e. V.

The exhibition is realised with the support of the Embassy of Colombia in Germany.

A special exhibition of the Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin