NOWs: Survival of the Fittest

29 February - 24 May 2020 / Nows

Survival of the Fittest

group exhibition with Andreas Greiner et al.

Opening
28 February

The current discourse on where humankind is heading is increasingly dominated by the danger that environmental destruction in general and climate change in particular pose for the survival of the species. Global political movements gave the issue a new level of urgency by emphasizing the need for an instant ecological paradigm shift at all levels of society. The role that technology can play in the future is being debated controversially.

From Artificial Intelligence (AI) to blockchain technology, big data and bioengineering – while optimists praise technological innovation as the key to preserving our habitat, skeptics warn about a naive hope that is fueled by an increased lack of understanding of technology. In a flood of contradictory information it becomes harder and harder to objectively evaluate the current state of the world. Caught in a doomsday atmosphere, feelings swing between euphoria and impotence, departure and demise, decadence and “Weltschmerz”.

The international group show features 10 artists that work on the boundaries between nature and high technology and approach their multifaceted relations through photography, computer simulation, video, installations and performances. The exhibition looks at our relation to planet earth and how to shape it in the future – from deconstructive critical perspectives to optimistic views towards the future or fantastic visions of the re-enchantment of nature.

Participating artists: Tega Brain (AU) & Julian Oliver (NZ) & Bengt Sjölen (SE), James Bridle (UK), Simon Denny (NZ), Anna Dumitriu (UK) & Alex May (UK), Futurefarmers (International), Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg (UK), Andreas Greiner (DE), Paul Seidler (DE) & Paul Kolling & Max Hampshire (UK), Jonas Staal (NL), und Pinar Yoldas (TR)

NOWs: Glass and Concrete. Manifestations of the Impossible

29 February - 07 June 2020 / Nows ⟶

Glass and Concrete. Manifestations of the Impossiblegroup exhibition with Elín Hansdóttir et al. Kai Schiemenz, Four-Colour Block (Detail), 2015, Glas, Betonsockel, 124 x 74 x 65 cm Marta Herford Goebenstraße 2–10 32052 Herford Opening 28 February, 7:30 pm Fragile delicacy or cool grandeur? Iridescent brilliance or brittle surface? Despite their apparent differences, glass and concrete are connected by a long history. Like almost no other material they are associated with great architectural visions: from brightly illuminated church buildings to military fortifications, right up to functional domestic appliances. The artists in the exhibition react not only to the changed life in the metropolises of the world. Like in an alchemist’s laboratory, they explore the path of the material between flowing and setting, testing the limits of the possible to pose new questions about crumbling social concepts. Constructions of glass and concrete are staged elegantly and brutally while at the same time energetically shattering the apparent beauty of a hollowed-out metaphor. In cooperation with Anne Schloen, Cologne Artists: Francis Alÿs, Peter Bialobrzeski, Oliver Boberg, Matti Braun, Andreas Bunte, Daniel Buren, Louisa Clement, Louis De Cordier, Alia Farid, Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani, Thomas Florschuetz, Daniela Friebel, Vincent Ganivet, Jakub Geltner, Isa Genzken, Elín Hansdóttir, Mona Hatoum, Philipp Hennevogl, Stephan Huber, Thomas Huber, Aernoudt Jacobs, Jeffrey James, Isa Melsheimer, Jan Muche, Martin Mühlhoff & Christian Vossiek, Olaf Pernice, Túlio Pinto, Robin Rhode, Kilian Rüthemann, Kai Schiemenz, Wolfgang Schlegel, Adrien Tirtiaux, Tatiana Trouvé, Lena von Goedeke, Martin Walde (in cooperation with Bernd Weinmayer). Glas und Beton. Manifestationen des UnmöglichenGruppenausstellung mit Elín Hansdóttir et al. Kai Schiemenz, Four-Colour Block (Detail), 2015, Glas, Betonsockel, 124 x 74 x 65 cm Marta Herford Goebenstraße 2–10 32052 Herford Eröffnung 28. Februar, 19:30 h Fragile Zartheit oder kühle Erhabenheit? Schillernder Glanz oder spröde Oberfläche? Trotz ihrer augenscheinlichen Unterschiede besitzen Glas und Beton eine lange gemeinsame Geschichte. Wie kaum ein anderes Material sind sie mit großen Architekturvisionen verbunden: von hell durchfluteten Kirchenbauten über militärische Festungen bis hin zu funktionalen Wohnmaschinen. Die Künstler*innen der Ausstellung reagieren nicht nur auf das veränderte Leben in den Metropolen dieser Welt. Wie in einem alchemistischen Labor erkunden sie selbst den Weg des Materials zwischen Fließen und Erstarren, testen die Grenzen des Möglichen aus, um brüchig gewordene Gesellschaftskonzepte neu zu befragen. Konstruktionen aus Glas und Beton werden elegant und brutal in Szene gesetzt, um zugleich den „schönen Schein“ einer ausgehöhlten Metaphorik energisch zu zerschmettern. In Kooperation mit Anne Schloen, Köln Künstler*innen: Francis Alÿs, Peter Bialobrzeski, Oliver Boberg, Matti Braun, Andreas Bunte, Daniel Buren, Louisa Clement, Louis De Cordier, Alia Farid, Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani, Thomas Florschuetz, Daniela Friebel, Vincent Ganivet, Jakub Geltner, Isa Genzken, Elín Hansdóttir, Mona Hatoum, Philipp Hennevogl, Stephan Huber, Thomas Huber, Aernoudt Jacobs, Jeffrey James, Isa Melsheimer, Jan Muche, Martin Mühlhoff & Christian Vossiek, Olaf Pernice, Túlio Pinto, Robin Rhode, Kilian Rüthemann, Kai Schiemenz, Wolfgang Schlegel, Adrien Tirtiaux, Tatiana Trouvé, Lena von Goedeke, Martin Walde (in cooperation with Bernd Weinmayer).

NOWs: Festival de l’Union, Tambacounda and The Rhythm of Giving and Taking, Dakar

21 - 28 February 2020 / Nows ⟶

Festival de l’Union, Tambacounda and The Rhythm of Giving and Taking, DakarGroup exhibition, lectures and talks 21 – 23 February Festival de l’Union, Tambacounda Centre Culturel Régional Exhibition With: Leone Contini, Aliou ‘Badou’ Diack, Binta Diaw, Saliou Diop, Thomas Dirrix, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch Screening With: Andreco, Julian Charriere, Kasia Fudakowski, Kahee Jeong, Mikhail Karikis, Raul Walch, Helen Zeru Curated by Jeewi Lee and Raul Walch Place de l’Hotel de Ville / city center Theater Forum With: Káddu Yaraax (Dakar), Ousmane Sinaré und Sikhou Diaby (Somankidi Coura, Mali) 28 February, 6 pm Kër Thiossane, Dakar Lectures and talks With: Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Negga Dou Tamba Both collaborations in Tambacounda and Dakar mark the provisional conclusion of the artistic research and exhibition project SEEDS FOR FUTURE MEMORIES. Voicing the two ends of migration. In 2018, thirteen artists travelled to Sinthian, Senegal and Florence, Italy to confront the contemporary realities of colonialism, and to jointly develop an aesthetic and political dialogue. Hosts and partners were Villa Romana in Florence and the Thread Residency in Sinthian. In 2019, artistic works resulting from these researches were presented in three parallel exhibitions in Berlin and at Villa Romana in Florence followed by the symposium TRANSVERSE TRAJECTORIES. Invited by the Senegalese acitivist, rapper and artist Negga Dou Tamba five artists – Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch – are now contributing to the Festival de l’Union in Tambacounda, joined by guests who were part of or whose paths have crossed with the project SEEDS in the past two years. This fifth edition of the festival is dedicated to the subject of environment, its preservation and its valuation. Negga Dou Tamba initiated the festival in 2016 as a big public event to praise the heritage, the common good and the power of imagination in Southeastern Senegal. Dozens of local, regional and international performers will participate in this joyful event. Subsequently the artists Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias and Negga Dou Tamba will reflect on the The Rhythm of Giving and Taking at Kër Thiossane in Dakar, a space for Art and Multimedia created in 2002. How do artists navigate in trans-cultural spaces contested with hierarchies of knowledge? What are the formats with which the artists respond to the site, to the issue of migration and to the festival’s major theme, ecology? The audience is invited to discuss collaborative artistic practices in a trans-continental context after a set of lectures and talks and to conclude the evening with a commonly created informal dinner. www.ker-thiossane.org/ www.facebook.com/pg/festivaldelunion/ The Tambacounda region in Senegal is one of the major hubs of migration to Europe. Together with the Thread Residency in Sinthian, Senegal, the artist house Villa Romana started therefore a transcontinental exchange project in 2018. After exhibitions in Berlin and Florence and a symposium on rural art, the project returned to Tambacounda in February. At the invitation of the activist and rapper Negga Dou Tamba, the artists Binta Diaw, Leone Contini, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch participated in the 5th edition of the Festival de l’Union (21.-23.2.2020). Negga Dou Tamba initiated this hip-hop and cultural festival in 2016 as a major public event to praise the heritage, the common good and the imagination in Southeast Senegal. Curated by Agnes Stillger,”Intersection Tamba” included an exhibition, film screenings and theater. The project addressed the themes migration and ecology, but most importantly, participation was about building alternative relationships and giving international visibility to the region’s wealth and issues. Festival de l’Union, Tambacounda and The Rhythm of Giving and Taking, DakarGroup exhibition, lectures and talks 21 – 23 February Festival de l’Union, Tambacounda Centre Culturel Régional Exhibition With: Leone Contini, Aliou ‘Badou’ Diack, Binta Diaw, Saliou Diop, Thomas Dirrix, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch Screening With: Andreco, Julian Charriere, Kasia Fudakowski, Kahee Jeong, Mikhail Karikis, Raul Walch, Helen Zeru Curated by Jeewi Lee and Raul Walch Place de l’Hotel de Ville / city center Theater Forum With: Káddu Yaraax (Dakar), Ousmane Sinaré und Sikhou Diaby (Somankidi Coura, Mali) 28 February, 6 pm Kër Thiossane, Dakar Lectures and talks With: Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Negga Dou Tamba Both collaborations in Tambacounda and Dakar mark the provisional conclusion of the artistic research and exhibition project SEEDS FOR FUTURE MEMORIES. Voicing the two ends of migration. In 2018, thirteen artists travelled to Sinthian, Senegal and Florence, Italy to confront the contemporary realities of colonialism, and to jointly develop an aesthetic and political dialogue. Hosts and partners were Villa Romana in Florence and the Thread Residency in Sinthian. In 2019, artistic works resulting from these researches were presented in three parallel exhibitions in Berlin and at Villa Romana in Florence followed by the symposium TRANSVERSE TRAJECTORIES. Invited by the Senegalese acitivist, rapper and artist Negga Dou Tamba five artists – Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch – are now contributing to the Festival de l’Union in Tambacounda, joined by guests who were part of or whose paths have crossed with the project SEEDS in the past two years. This fifth edition of the festival is dedicated to the subject of environment, its preservation and its valuation. Negga Dou Tamba initiated the festival in 2016 as a big public event to praise the heritage, the common good and the power of imagination in Southeastern Senegal. Dozens of local, regional and international performers will participate in this joyful event. Subsequently the artists Leone Contini, Binta Diaw, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias and Negga Dou Tamba will reflect on the The Rhythm of Giving and Taking at Kër Thiossane in Dakar, a space for Art and Multimedia created in 2002. How do artists navigate in trans-cultural spaces contested with hierarchies of knowledge? What are the formats with which the artists respond to the site, to the issue of migration and to the festival’s major theme, ecology? The audience is invited to discuss collaborative artistic practices in a trans-continental context after a set of lectures and talks and to conclude the evening with a commonly created informal dinner. www.ker-thiossane.org/ www.facebook.com/pg/festivaldelunion/ The Tambacounda region in Senegal is one of the major hubs of migration to Europe. Together with the Thread Residency in Sinthian, Senegal, the artist house Villa Romana started therefore a transcontinental exchange project in 2018. After exhibitions in Berlin and Florence and a symposium on rural art, the project returned to Tambacounda in February. At the invitation of the activist and rapper Negga Dou Tamba, the artists Binta Diaw, Leone Contini, Jeewi Lee, Juan Pablo Macias, Raul Walch participated in the 5th edition of the Festival de l’Union (21.-23.2.2020). Negga Dou Tamba initiated this hip-hop and cultural festival in 2016 as a major public event to praise the heritage, the common good and the imagination in Southeast Senegal. Curated by Agnes Stillger,”Intersection Tamba” included an exhibition, film screenings and theater. The project addressed the themes migration and ecology, but most importantly, participation was about building alternative relationships and giving international visibility to the region’s wealth and issues.

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NOWs: Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the Fittest

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