Uncertain States – Artistic Strategies in States of Emergency
An exhibition project of the Akademie der Künste
Mona Hatoum: "Kapan iki", 2012 (detail); Photo: def image; Courtesy Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin | Paris
Akam Shex Hadi: Without title, Kubani from the Cordon Project, 2014-15
Richard Mosse: "Come Out (1966) XXXI (Triple Beam Dreams)", 2012; Private Collection SVLP
Maziar Moradi: Untitled, 2007 (from the series 1979)
Isaac Julien: "Western Union Series no. 8 (Sculpture for the New Millennium)", 2007
The exhibition project "Uncertain States" at the Akademie der Künste this upcoming fall combines an experiential space created from objects found in the Academy’s archives with an exhibition of contemporary art as well as a thinking space (Denkraum) for scholars, activists and artists.
The fragility of individual, societal and political conditions, triggered by wars, poverty and terrorism, are the focus of an artistic investigation, in which the currently dramatic situation surrounding the refugee movement makes reference to historical experiences of flight and exile between 1933 and 1945. Selected objects and documents from the archives of the Akademie der Künste, by Walter Benjamin, Bertolt Brecht, Valeska Gert, Lea Grundig, Heinrich Mann, Bruno Taut, Kurt Tucholsky and others, correspond to more than 25 contemporary arts positions reflecting recent experiences and situations resulting from crisis and flight, instability, violence and loss. The latter include works by Francis Alÿs, Reza Aramesh, Ayşe Erkmen, William Forsythe, Mona Hatoum, Isaac Julien, Sigalit Landau, Maziar Moradi, Graciela Sacco, Nasan Tur, Micha Ullman and Arkadi Zaides.
A series of lectures and special events will address current political questions on themes such as neo-colonialism, the causes for flight and migration, and the new rise in nationalism in Europe, posited from within the context of cultural and artistic positions. A thinking space will be created through lectures, debates, concerts, film presentations, performances and theatre.
Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.
