Kader Attia's New York Exhibition Explores Trauma and Healing Through Shattered Glass and Resonant Cages

Kader Attia presents 'Shattering and Gathering our Traces' at Lehmann Maupin gallery in New York, marking his first solo show in the city in six years. The French-Algerian artist's exhibition investigates themes of colonial violence, erased histories, and the mending of trauma through diverse sculptural works. A central installation features over twenty suspended bird cages containing bells that visitors can chime by shaking ropes, creating an interactive sonic environment that references absent birds. Glass appears prominently throughout the show, including circular mirrors with deliberate tears revealing dark interiors and suitcases filled with shards that cast colored light across walls. These suitcases previously appeared in the 36th São Paulo Biennial, where Attia also showed his single-channel film 'La Valise oubliée (The Forgotten Suitcase)' (2024), which screens in the gallery's basement alongside luggage pieces. Three untitled glass sculptures from 2025 capture frozen moments of plastic bags in mid-air, continuing the artist's fifteen-year exploration of disposable objects. Attia's practice consistently addresses the recovery of overlooked histories, with this exhibition following recent institutional shows in Mexico and Spain and a residency at the Louvre in Paris. The exhibition runs until December 20, 2025.