The philosopher’s stone is one of the most sought-after treasures in the world of alchemy. Over hundreds of years, alchemists from the Arabic countries through to East Asia and Europe have tried to create the magical mixture said to prolong life and transform impure material into pure.
Around 1660, the Danish alchemist Valdemar Daa – while depleting his family fortune in its pursuit – was convinced that he found the philosopher’s stone. Shortly after, so the story goes, the glass containing the precious liquid ruptured and smashed. He was never able to prove his discovery.
Starting from this specific moment set in the late 1600s, Corridor 3 invites visitors to enter into a mindset where different kinds of mystical knowledge and beliefs pervaded over today’s version of science. They will be taken on a journey through the mysteries of alchemy, the human faith in the potential for natural materials to hold treasures of incredible power, and one person’s obsessive search for the seemingly impossible.
Troika »Arcades« (2012), courtesy the artistsScene Everything »Laborious and the Wind: Three Acts of Alchemy« (2017), courtesy the artistsExhibition view »Corridor 3: Valdemar Daa«, 2017Jenny Brockmann »EMAG-201-17-990« (2017), courtesy the artist & Gallery Gerken, BerlinA/A (Andreas Greiner & Armin Keplinger) »A/::« (2017), courtesy the artist & KWADRAT, BerlinCorridor 3: Valdemar Daa – exhibition viewHelene Hellmich »Museum: Part 2 (Clouds)« (2013–2017), courtesy the artistIrina Birger »Ouroboros or What’s Eating You« (2016), film still, courtesy the artistJulian Rosefeldt »The Perfectionist« (2005), courtesy the artistKitty Kraus »Untitled (Light Box)« (2012), courtesy the artist & Galerie Neu, Berlin
