Pioneer of minimalism
The exhibition, which encompasses her early work series, includes installations, sculptures, paintings and sound works. Although Hennix remained relatively unknown for most of her life, the renewed interest in her work has brought to light an extraordinary production that contributes to broadening the conversation about minimalism – both in music and visual art – as well as discussions about spirituality, mathematics and gender identity.
Catherine Christer Hennix (1948–2023) was born in Stockholm and immersed herself in music at an early age, including as a drummer. She also became an early member of the Elektronmusikstudion (EMS), where she composed for mainframes while studying biochemistry, linguistics, and mathematical logic.
International influences
A trip to New York in 1968 introduced her to the downtown scene and central figures such as John Cage and Walter De Maria, but her encounter with La Monte Young the following year was most significant. Through him she came into contact with the master of Hindustani raga, Pandit Pran Nath, whose teachings greatly shaped her deep commitment to Hindustani art music, as well as with Henry Flynt, a lifelong collaborator. Hennix spent a long time in New York, later moving to Amsterdam and Berlin, and lived until her death in Istanbul.
Formative presentation at Moderna Museet
Her first major exhibition, “Topos and Adjoints,” took place at the Moderna Museet in Stockholm in 1976 and presented a collection of steel sculptures, sine-tone compositions, projections, and the accompanying text “Notes on Topos and Adjoints.” Alongside this formative exhibition—which influenced many of her later works—she also performed her own compositions, along with works by La Monte Young and Terry Riley, during Brouwer’s Lattice, a multi-day festival that she organized with curator Ulf Linde.
Rare exhibition
The exhibition at Malmö Konsthall is the first major presentation of Hennix’s artistry in Sweden since the exhibition at Moderna Museet in 1976 and provides an overview of her entire artistic production. Some of Hennix’s works have previously been shown at Malmö Konsthall in the exhibition “Åke Hodell – Resistance” , 2022. The exhibition is made in collaboration with Blank Forms, under the direction of Lawrence Kumpf, a long-time collaborator of Hennix, and Empty Gallery (Hong Kong/Berlin).
