The point of departure for the exhibition was one of the artist’s favourite stories – about a group of researchers studying the behaviour and habits of whales. On one occasion, the team encountered an individual whale swimming alone for reasons unknown. The scientists observed this solitary creature tor an extended period, unable to understand why a mature whale would remain outside the pod. It was only upon the colossal mammal’s death that the truth emerged: the whale had a genetic defect and “sang” half a tone too high. No other whale ever heard his call, nor did any respond. Thus, the very essence of this mighty creature’s existence consisted of journeying alone through the murky ocean depths, swimming ceaselessly towards the horizon, his mournful “song” reverberating through the water, perpetually unanswered. For the artist, this story speaks of the human need to find the Other – one who speaks the same language, who is on the same “wavelength” – to encounter a being capable of understanding and embracing us within their community.

Yet the exhibition itself starts much later – with the titular death of the animal. The visitor is confronted by the whale’s eye – the proverbial “mirror of the soul” – into which no gaze has ever been cast, for the whale never encountered another. Here, the viewer becomes the first sentient being privileged to look within, in this case quite literally. The exhibition invites us on a journey into the cavernous interior of the whale’s body, where wooden, abstract forms are suspended from steel ribs. In the artist’s vision, they represent a dense concentration of nostalgia and sorrow that accumulated during the whale’s lifetime, enshrouding its organs and skeleton. From this despair, Delman weaves a beautiful visual poetics that transfigures the creature under contemplation.

Delman w typowy dla siebie sposób proponuje również cyniczną kontynuację wyjściowej opowieści. Jak sam mówi: „Każda osoba twórcza ma swoją masę kulturową, którą się wydobywa i kapitalizuje za życia i po śmierci, tak jak tłuszcz z wieloryba, kości ze słonia, tak dzieło z twórcy”. Pomiędzy szkieletem pełnym abstrakcyjnych form pojawiają się elementy architektury pozyskiwania zasobów. Do nich właśnie sprowadza autor masę artysty. Do dóbr, jakie wyciągnięte z kontekstu, z biomu, gdzie powstały, przekształcają się w artefakt gotowy na handel. Być może w swojej nostalgicznej pieśni Delman właśnie tego się obawia: że nie spotka Innego za życia i nie spotka go także po śmierci, będąc już tylko masą.