After more than a decade away from exhibiting in London, Roni Horn returns to Hauser & Wirth with Seizure of Hope, an exhibition that places language at the centre of artistic experience. Bringing together forty-five works from the ongoing Seizure of Hope series, the exhibition revolves around a single repeated phrase: "I am paralysed with hope." Originally introduced into Horn's practice in 2021, the statement has continued to resonate in response to the political, environmental and social uncertainties of recent years.
Roni Horn: Seizure of Hope (2026)
Rather than treating language as something fixed, Horn uses handwriting as a material in itself. The repeated sentence appears in countless variations, each subtly different from the last, transforming a familiar phrase into something fluid, personal and continually shifting. What initially appears repetitive gradually reveals itself as an exploration of identity, perception and the instability of meaning. The same words designed to feel as though they belong to different people, different moments and different emotional states.
Roni Horn, Seizure of Hope (72), 2025
According to the exhibition, Horn intended the works to evoke the sensation of viewing text through water, with the changing scripts suggesting a constant state of movement and transformation. While this conceptual framework became clearer after reading the accompanying material, my own experience was less immediate. Rather than reading the works through the lens of water, I found myself reflecting on the individuality of handwriting itself and the subtle ways in which personality can exist within something as ordinary as a written sentence. It became an exhibition that unfolded gradually, rewarding time and careful observation rather than demanding an instant emotional response.
A cast glass sculpture positioned within the gallery extends these ideas of transparency, reflection and fluidity. Its relationship with the surrounding works reinforces Horn's long-standing fascination with water as both a physical material and a metaphor for identity, encouraging visitors to consider permanence and change simultaneously.
Untitled ("What happens to the hole when the cheese is gone?"), 2022
As someone whose own practice frequently explores collaboration and shared authorship, I found myself imagining how these ideas might evolve further through the inclusion of multiple contributors. The exhibition prompted me to think about how a single phrase might accumulate new layers of meaning when interpreted by many different hands rather than one artist alone. Personally, I wondered how the repeated statement might feel if presented more densely than originally conceived, amplifying the sensation of repetition and emotional accumulation.
Seizure of Hope is not an exhibition that seeks immediate impact. Instead, it invites slow looking and sustained reflection, demonstrating how repetition can alter perception and how a single sentence can shift in meaning simply through the hand that writes it. Whether viewers connect primarily with its conceptual foundations or its quieter emotional undertones, Horn offers a thoughtful meditation on language, identity and the persistence of hope in uncertain times.
Seizure of Hope is on view at Hauser & Wirth London from 21 May to 1 August 2026. For those interested in experiencing the exhibition firsthand or learning more about Horn's practice, further information can be found on Hauser & Wirth's website: