The exposed brickwork feels like the outer walls of an ancient archaeological ruin which a strange alien force has taken over creating an inner sanctum in which the masters of the universe sit and watch, while mere mortals walk around the space in between. Swirling lights, shadowy twisting worms, strange beasts hatching from eggs in a tangled mass of electrical cables, alien creatures and space age figures fill the temple within a temple and the corridor around it while overhead clouds swirl with texts that reflect on the commercialism and politics of the modern world and ironically seem pertinent to the political events of the past few days.
Katja Novitskova’s immersive, seductive and transfixing installation at the Whitechapel Gallery is derived from her acclaimed presentation in the Estonian Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale as she presents a worrying view of a world where technology and science conquers everyday life.