Ronchini is proud to present Vertical visibility, the third solo exhibition by Dutch artist Berndnaut Smilde hosted in its Mayfair space. This exhibition continues Smilde’s unique investigation into the ephemeral and the impermanent, featuring a series of site-specific cloud works from his famed Nimbus series that blur the line between the real and the imagined. With a focus on verticality and architectural engagement, Vertical visibility offers a captivating experience of fleeting moments of appearance and disappearance, challenging the viewer’s perception of space and time.

The title, Vertical visibility, is a nod to the mostly vertical orientation of the works in the exhibition as well as a reference to meteorological terminology for obscuration by clouds. The cloud, an elemental force that can both obscure and reveal, is used as a metaphor in Smilde’s works for the tension between presence and absence. The ‘real’ clouds in the pieces materialize as soft, vaporous forms that linger in space, existing only momentarily before evaporating and fading from view. These delicate, transitory clouds are not just atmospheric phenomena but also reflections on the passing of time and the unseen forces that shape our reality.

The exhibition includes works created in a range of distinct locations in transition. These include the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam, the Handelingenkamer of The House of Representatives in The Hague, a newly constructed Italian-style villa near Haarlem, a refurbished ice factory in South Korea, and the historic Royal West of England Academy (RWA) in Bristol—one of the oldest artist societies in the UK. The architectural environments in which these clouds were created are integral to the works themselves, amplifying the contrast between permanence and impermanence, highlighting the perfections as well as imperfections in these impressive locations. These spaces serve as both the canvas and the context for Smilde’s investigations into the nature of visibility and obscuration.