Katia Loher's Miniverses are compelling video works in a quiet and elegant statement about humanity. These tiny microcosms are inventive, poetic, and mesmerising to watch. Loher operates akin to a theatrical producer, beginning with her concept and subsequently joining forces with a choreographer, costume designer, dancers, various video personnel and art fabricators. The idea is predicated on a concept of creating idealized artificial worlds that exist in harmony with our own allegedly unpleasant reality, hatching tiny ethereal havens that at first glance seem amusing and quirky, but revealing beautiful kaleidoscopic patterns constructed from dance formations, filmed from above to recall the complicity and harmony of synchronized swimmers.

The diminutive nature of Loher’s ultimate statement in visual form in its beautifully crafted glass bubbles, presents the viewer with a challenge to surpass mere ocular titillation, by engaging us in a private experience instead. Such an intimate experience nevertheless resonates globally, addressing ecological urgencies like the disappearance of the bee population. Peering into the glass bubble is like having a conversation with oneself. Language weaves together the corporal through dance, the written word, and the enigmatic communication of the animal kingdom. Loher's elfin performers mimic the somatic, sonar-type communication found in ant colonies, bee hives, or schools of fish, and further challenges mankind's hubristic nature over animals by inspiring us to look for answers from another viewpoint.

Loher's work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions worldwide, including: MuBE, Museu Brasileiro da Escultura, São Paulo, Brazil; MAXXI Museum, Rome, Italy; United Nations Pavilion, Shanghai Expo, China; SIGGRAPH Asia, Yokohama, Japan and Art Digital, Moscow, Russia. Her work is also featured in many private and public collections, among them: Perez Art Museum, Miami, Florida, USA; Credit Suisse Collection, Geneva, Switzerland; eN Arts Collection, Tokyo, Japan and Horsecross Collection, Perth, UK.

* image (left)
© Katja Loher
courtesy of the artist