Widely recognized as a leading figure of moving-image art, Nalini Malani is best known for her layered video-and-shadow installations, experimental animations, and multipanel reverse paintings on Mylar. While her practice continues to evolve as she embraces new technologies and ways of working, her commitment to investigating the effects of war, violence, and the repression of women remains consistent. Her exhibition “Vision in Motion,” curated by Doryun Chong, deputy director and chief curator of M+, became the inaugural presentation in The Studio, a cavernous, subterranean space in the Hong Kong museum. Additionally, in early August, Malani debuted the commissioned work In Search of Vanished Blood (2012/2022) on the M+ Facade, and Life (2022), M+’s first commission specifically for Instagram. In August, I sat down with Malani during her brief visit to Hong Kong. Our conversation touched on her earliest influences, the dangers of historical amnesia, and why now more than ever humanity needs the female perspective on a safer and more inclusive society.
In 2019, you visited the construction site of M+ to familiarize yourself with the architecture of The Studio. What was your reaction to the space?
I was overwhelmed and immediately enthusiastic for what the architects, Herzog and de Meuron, had done. The Studio has a height of nine meters and raw-concrete walls—it truly is a challenge for the artist and curator alike. It is also a space of unprecedented potential. I felt this would be an ideal place for an artist to experiment with presentations that go beyond the conventional white or black cube. It sets the stage for a unique art experience, inseparable
