Data:
| Availability | Available |
| Article number | 178621 |
| Price | 8,00 € |
Description:
ATMEN
30 Sept 20212 - 15 Jan 2023 | Special exhibition
Exhibition poster | Dimensions: 59.5 x 84 cm
The large-scale thematic exhibition ATMEN deals with the different facets of breathing and its representation in the art of the Old Masters and the present day. More than 100 works are brought into exciting dialogues with each other, some of which transcend epochs. The result is an unconventional exchange on an existential theme that at first seems like an unconscious, biological process, but which has manifold social and political dimensions.
Even in ancient times, breath was more than just air flowing in and out of the body. It is a vehicle of life, thought, inspiration and, in many world cultures, also of the soul. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, breathing is considered a central moment of the divine act of creation. Breathing means life, while its loss is synonymous with death. Nevertheless, our breathing is often taken for granted in everyday life, only coming into view when it dwindles - through disease, climate change, pandemics or physical violence. For example, the last words of George Floyd 2020 "I can't breathe" have become virtually synonymous with racist and institutional violence.
Far from being a neutral physiological process, breathing always makes a - more or less obvious - socio-political statement. The supply of air reveals mechanisms of social and political inclusion and exclusion on very different levels, also and especially in the time of a global pandemic, when access to oxygen has become vital. At the same time, we experience the potential of aerosols to cause illness and possibly death. Our own breath and that of our fellow human beings has become a danger that is contrary to the life-sustaining principle of breathing and radically questions our relationship to the world and to each other.
The exhibition invites us to approach this multifaceted theme in a variety of ways and to identify both historical analogies and contemporary historical peculiarities in the artistic treatment of breathing. Around 45 artistic positions from 18 countries are dedicated to breathing in its enduring significance and explore its current explosiveness. The interdisciplinary spectrum of artistic media presented ranges from painting, sculpture and installation to photography, drawing, performance, video, film and sound pieces. The exhibition comprises outstanding loans from public and private collections, including paintings by Hendrick ter Brugghen, David Teniers the Younger and Oscar Muñoz. In addition, international artists have been invited to create works especially for the exhibition (Alice Channer, Andreas Greiner, Joachim Koester and others). Some works will be modified for the show (Forensic Architecture, Kasia Fudakowski, Teresa Margolles, Nina Canell). The unusually large exhibition space extends through several parts of the Hamburger Kunsthalle building and, with a unique large light projection by Jenny Holzer, reaches out into its outdoor areas. After BESSER SCHEITERN (2013), WARTEN (2017) and TRAUERN (2020), the show is another highlight in a series of socially relevant thematic exhibitions at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
30 Sept 20212 - 15 Jan 2023 | Special exhibition
Exhibition poster | Dimensions: 59.5 x 84 cm
The large-scale thematic exhibition ATMEN deals with the different facets of breathing and its representation in the art of the Old Masters and the present day. More than 100 works are brought into exciting dialogues with each other, some of which transcend epochs. The result is an unconventional exchange on an existential theme that at first seems like an unconscious, biological process, but which has manifold social and political dimensions.
Even in ancient times, breath was more than just air flowing in and out of the body. It is a vehicle of life, thought, inspiration and, in many world cultures, also of the soul. In the Judeo-Christian tradition, breathing is considered a central moment of the divine act of creation. Breathing means life, while its loss is synonymous with death. Nevertheless, our breathing is often taken for granted in everyday life, only coming into view when it dwindles - through disease, climate change, pandemics or physical violence. For example, the last words of George Floyd 2020 "I can't breathe" have become virtually synonymous with racist and institutional violence.
Far from being a neutral physiological process, breathing always makes a - more or less obvious - socio-political statement. The supply of air reveals mechanisms of social and political inclusion and exclusion on very different levels, also and especially in the time of a global pandemic, when access to oxygen has become vital. At the same time, we experience the potential of aerosols to cause illness and possibly death. Our own breath and that of our fellow human beings has become a danger that is contrary to the life-sustaining principle of breathing and radically questions our relationship to the world and to each other.
The exhibition invites us to approach this multifaceted theme in a variety of ways and to identify both historical analogies and contemporary historical peculiarities in the artistic treatment of breathing. Around 45 artistic positions from 18 countries are dedicated to breathing in its enduring significance and explore its current explosiveness. The interdisciplinary spectrum of artistic media presented ranges from painting, sculpture and installation to photography, drawing, performance, video, film and sound pieces. The exhibition comprises outstanding loans from public and private collections, including paintings by Hendrick ter Brugghen, David Teniers the Younger and Oscar Muñoz. In addition, international artists have been invited to create works especially for the exhibition (Alice Channer, Andreas Greiner, Joachim Koester and others). Some works will be modified for the show (Forensic Architecture, Kasia Fudakowski, Teresa Margolles, Nina Canell). The unusually large exhibition space extends through several parts of the Hamburger Kunsthalle building and, with a unique large light projection by Jenny Holzer, reaches out into its outdoor areas. After BESSER SCHEITERN (2013), WARTEN (2017) and TRAUERN (2020), the show is another highlight in a series of socially relevant thematic exhibitions at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.
