The source of 20th century unrest is a pattern of blind domination, according to German philosophers Theodor Adorno and Max Horkheimer. This is domination is trifold: the domination of nature by human beings, the domination of nature within human beings, and, in both of these forms of domination, the domination of some human beings by others.
A product of their wartime exile, Adorno and Horkheimer first published Dialectic of Enlightenment in 1944. It would become one of the most searching critiques of modernity. The duo had experienced National Socialism, Stalinism, state capitalism, and mass culture as entirely new forms of social domination.
Almost 80 years later, the patterns of social domination remain one of the main questions present in the artistic practices of today’s artists. The 38th round of Pilotenkueche International Art Program brings together 16 emerging artists that share a similar sensibility directed towards multi-layered social and cultural structures. Engaged in various topics, their approach can primarily be described as analytical, as most of them reflect on the social character of contemporary art in their practice and thus in a way deal with the question whether or not art can contribute to the transformation of this world.
all photos by PILOTENKUECHE International Art Program
A
Why the title, Fast Kotzen? The artists of the 38th round relate to the idea of an instantaneous reaction in a form of purging, symbolically and physically. The body’s action of protecting itself serves as a symbol for rejection of the blind domination of nature and humans, pointing towards transformation of society as a whole and subsequently leading towards reconciliation. The duality of the word “fast” (in English – quick; but in German – almost, nearly) also implies that producing new work requires a reflection beforehand, the artists being eager to express themselves quickly in order to make room for new work and also to be in sync with the demands and the pace of the world today.
At the vernissage, you’ll have a chance to engage with the works and the artists, and also hear the reactions of Twin Effect. These talented musicians from Georgia will improvise based on their reactions to the art, the space, the crowd, and each other.
written by curator Tena Bakšaj
Fast Kotzen
Vernissage: 23.03.19, 19h
Performance: Twin Effect
Open: 24 – 27.03.19 17h-20h
Location: PILOTENKUECHE, 2nd Floor, Franz-Flemming-Str. 9, 04179 Leipzig, Germany
International residents
A L Kleiner
(Painting, installation; Sydney, Australia)
Amanda Struver
(Interdisciplinary: Syracuse, NY, United States)
Ana Castillo
(Illustration, painting, animation: Paris, France)
Atsuko Mochida
(Installation, site-specific installation, public art: Tokyo, Japan)
Ece Canguden
(Painting, sculpture: Istanbul, Turkey)
Eliana Jacobs
(Etching, objects, collage, conceptual: Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Isabelle Kuzio
(Video, sculpture, painting, installation: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada)
Jose Sarmiento
(Painting, drawing, etching: Bucaramanga, Colombia)
Charles Park
(Photography: New York, NY, US)
Marloes Staal
(Sculpture, photography, drawing: Enschede, Netherlands)
Ludmila Hrachovinova
(Painting: Bratislava, Slovakia)
Roman Bicek
(Painting, collage: Bratislava, Slovakia)
Tomas Orrego Gianella
(Video, installation, collage: Lima, Peru)
Valentine Emilia Bossert
(Drawing, printmaking, sculpture, video, installation: Geneva, Switzerland)
Local Participants
Henrike Pilz
(mixed media: Leipzig, Germany)
Paul Altmann
(Conceptual art, photography, video, installation: Leipzig, Germany)
Curator
Tena Bakšaj
(Zagreb, Croatia)
Interns
Ciara Brown
(Fine art, multimedia: Birnley, UK)
Maria Maceira
(Art history: A Estrada, Pontevedra, Spain)
Samra Sabanovic
(Photography: Helsinki, Finland)
Mihyun Maria Kim
(Painting, drawing: Edmonton, Canada)
I