Kai Althoff’s exhibit at the MoMa is a sensory experience. As one walks into a makeshift Bedouin tent, sights and sounds greet the viewer on all ends. The works come in every imaginable medium: drawings, paintings, statues, built items, found objects, trinkets, garbage. As one meanders about the space, sound effects and ambient music create a powerful suspension of reality – as if one has left their own world completely, and entered Althoff’s fully.

One piece that stood out to me in particular that I returned to repeatedly, happened to be the first work I viewed upon entering the exhibit. One of the many untitled works, this piece was a painting roughly 2’ x 3’ in dimension. Loosely resembling the outline of a top hat, there is an image of a woman getting her hair done. She is suspended over what can vaguely be described as an image of a city. The colors are limited, but vivid – consisting of bold navy, yellow, orange, and white space. The work is dense at its base, shifting to a sparser, perhaps more cerebral mood as the eye moves up.

The cohesiveness of the exhibit was impressive, again considering the sheer volume of works and varying types. There is nostalgia here, and it is powerful.