Protest

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Protest, Part 1
Juried exhibition with Moabit artists at Galerie Nord | Kunstverein Tiergarten
30.6.-29.7.2017
with works by Monika Anselment, Maria Anwander/Ruben Aubrecht, Gleb Bas, Antonia Bisig, Birgit Borggrebe, Silvia Klara Breitwieser, Giuliana del Zanna, Barbara Duisberg, Albrecht Fersch, Andrea Golla, Stefan Klein, Burkhard Oelmann, Ariane Pauls, Tere Recarens/Özay Şahin, Silke Riechert, Salah Saouli, Silke Schwarz, Jacob Stoy, Martin von Ostrowski, Lilla von Puttkamer and Christian Weidner.

With around 20 contributions, the exhibition at Galerie Nord | Kunstverein Tiergarten on the occasion of Ortstermin 17 provides a multi-faceted overview of artistic ideas, thoughts and concepts on this year’s theme “Protest”. From over 50 applications by artists who live and work in Moabit, a jury of five had the not-so-easy task of selecting around 20 positions and thus presenting as broad a spectrum as possible of different media, contrasting approaches and multi-layered productions. The approaches of the selected contributions are fascinating. They range from appellative works, ironic bon mots and documentary works to participatory and performative actions with which Moabit artists prove how important it is to them to deal with political developments and current social situations. After themes such as “Revolution”, “Gentrification” and “Flight and Identity” in previous years, the organisers of this year’s Ortstermin have chosen “Protest”, a theme that is of current relevance not only due to the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, but especially due to current international politics, and which also moves artists living in Berlin.

As difficult as it may be for some painters, sculptors and photographers – who tend to work in an abstract style – to deal with such a specific thematic framework, the works selected for the exhibition make it clear that it is much more about a fundamental attitude of the visual arts to questions of political co-determination, participation and the social visibility of minorities – in other words, topics that concern everyone and call for active involvement. In this respect, the works by Moabit artists presented in the Galerie Nord, but also those by their Berlin colleagues, which can be seen for three weeks in Moabit’s urban space, show that artists are primarily concerned with one thing: differentiated observation, close scrutiny and in-depth analysis. In other words, an attitude that is diametrically opposed to all attempts at strategic polarisation, populist defamation and collective stultification, and that calls for sensitive observation and complex sensory perception of any form of political abuse of power instead of the usual simplification. Seen in this light, even those forms of articulation that seem to be entirely art-related and self-referential are teaching pieces in differentiated observation and sensitive nuance. They delve into complex issues and problems without coming up with quick solutions and hasty measures, and thus at the expense of less loud and restrained positions.

The painterly, photographic and installation contributions to the exhibition invite visitors to engage in this precise and reflective analysis and to develop their own attitudes, their own forms of protest.

Protest, Part 2
Juried exhibition with Berlin artists in the urban space Moabit
30.6.-23.7.2017
with works by Vinzenz Adldinger/Matthias Nebel, Pedro Boese, Stefan Boness, Juan Carlos Rosa Casasola, Costantino Ciervo, Max Diel, Margret Eicher/Toni Wirthmüller, Stephan Groß, Silke Eva Kästner, Richard Rabensaat, Tere Recarens/Özay Şahin, Susanne Roewer, Joachim Schmid, Christian Weidner and beate maria wörz.

Based on the works by Moabit artists on the topic in the Galerie Nord, a total of 15 Berlin-based positions were invited by the jury to realise their ideas and concepts on the topic of “protest” on large-scale election billboards in the urban space between Turmstraße, Heilandskirche, Ottopark and the small Tiergarten. The billboards thus unfold their effect precisely where the most diverse actors of democratic participation meet and articulate themselves again and again, no matter what the situation.

Whether they protest against park redesigns, take part in demonstrations or simply meet to discuss things together. The carriers of electoral advertising are repurposed and thus become artistic platforms for the discussion of processes of change and issues that affect society as a whole. In this way, the artists also shed light on the potential and consequences of democratic opinion-forming in media terms by consciously including public space and its classic advertising formats and seeking discussion with passers-by.

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