Five hundred years ago, in 1519, a fleet of Spanish ships set out on a voyage around the globe in search of distant lands, and amongst the many wondrous things they bought back were the skins of birds of paradise and the various tales that mythologised their presence. For her latest solo exhibition, entitled Birds of Paradise, at Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery Berlin, Sinta Tantra weaves together painting, sculpture, slides, sound and archival material to lead the viewer on a journey through three distinctive spaces that chart the bird’s transformation through history in the context of contemporary discourse around otherness and post-colonialism.
