Modulor III

In the series Modulor, Nadia Kaabi-Linke explores the sizes of prison cells in countries around the world. The installation shares some qualities of a drawing as it superimposes the rectangular measurements of the cells’ floor plans to define an overlapping grid on the floor and the gallery wall. From afar, the abstracted shapes appear as beautiful forms, but a closer view reveals the names and geographic locations of the prisons. The work’s title refers to a system of proportions based on an idealized male body developed by the influential modernist architect Le Corbusier, who advocated for its use in designing buildings. Kaabi-Linke’s practice often combines the sparse geometries, materiality, and spatial awareness of minimalism with rigorous research into social, cultural, and political conditions. In Nadia Kaabi-Linke’s work, the research process is as important as the final product. Modulor examines confinement, captivity, and control both physically and metaphorically. The installation raises questions about the design of prison cells and how such spaces are inhabited and experienced. By analyzing the rooms’ ratios and minimum conditions for a person, the installation also draws comparisons to dwellings and the rationalizing effects of architecture. Through subtle but evocative methods, Kaabi-Linke’s works visualize challenging historical and contemporary issues in a refined formal language.