Pre-position

​In front of the museum's west entrance and the steps leading toward Al-Farabi Avenue stands Pre-Position, a monumental installation by German artist of Polish origin Alicja Kwade.

Kwade's art blends science, philosophy, and poetry. She transforms stone and metal into fragile-looking constructions that challenge our perception of time and space.

For this work she was inspired by her journey to the Torysh Valley in western Kazakhstan, a site famous for its mysterious stone spheres whose origins are still debated.

The sculpture is composed of nineteen spheres made from sixteen rare stones sourced around the world — from white Carrara marble to Brazilian quartzite. The largest sphere measures two meters across and weighs eleven tons.

At the center rises a tall metal structure, where the stones appear to float in the air, defying gravity. Their arrangement recalls celestial bodies or models of the solar system.

Pre-Position encourages us to think about our place in the universe and about the connections between science, nature, and poetry.