09 Apr 2013

The Stubborn Life of Things at KAI 10 | Arthena Foundation

THE STUBBORN LIFE OF THINGS

Wherever we come across human beings, we find them surrounded by things. Sometimes these fulfill functions necessary for survival, while at other times they are tools or toys, weapons or decorations, purchases or gifts. Many things in our environment, however, elude human absorption. In these cases, we are not in control of these things; instead, they take us under their wing. Objects in everyday use also occasionally have an uncontrollable secret life and formative energy of their own, which the exhibition at KAI 10 seeks to comprehend. Six international artists advance an understanding of things that goes beyond their function as human prostheses, as an archive of cultural practices, or as the simple materialization of higher (artistic) ideas. In videos, installations, sculptures, and photographs, the artists allow us to dive into the world of things, whose sensual guise can either seduce or provoke us, making them tangible, yet untranslatable at the same time. The works of art in this show encourage us to re-think the roles of clothes racks, automobiles, wall tiles, etc. as accomplices in human acts of all kinds.

Curator: Julia Höner

BETTINA BUCK
HANS-PETER FELDMANN
ROMUALD HAZOUMÈ
SOFIA HULTÉN
MONIKA STRICKER
HAEGUE YANG

OPENING: Friday, 12 April, 2013, 7 p.m.
DURATION: 13 April to 6 July, 2013, Tues.-Sat., 12-5 p.m.

Supported by Goethe-Institut Côte d'Ivoire and Koreanisches Kulturzentrum Berlin, Kulturabteilung der Botschaft der Rep. Korea.