INVITATION
THE GRAND FINISSAGE
Sunday 26. July, 2 – 7 pm

TRANSHUMAN N°2
Roy Köhnke
Being Flesh

The second exhibition of the year focuses on the human body, presenting it from astonishingly new perspectives. As the body lies at the heart of transhumanism – our theme for the year – the KVG team is particularly delighted to have found in Roy Köhnke a radical artist who fundamentally questions the relationship between the body and technology, both in the present and in the near future.

After nearly two months of the exhibition, we are now delighted to present the Parisian artist’s works to you once again and to engage in a joint discussion on the potential area of conflict between Society >< One’s own Body. You are warmly invited and welcome. At 3 pm, we will host an online discussion between the artist Roy Köhnke in Paris and the curator Stephan Klee in Göttingen. This will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibition at 4 pm, and finally, from 5 pm, there will be an open discussion with Joos Ziegler, Stephan Klee and the guests in attendance.

All events will be held in German and English as required; there will be plenty of snacks and cold drinks on offer. We look forward to seeing you – admission is free.

Kind regards,
The team at the Kunstverein Göttingen

Location
Altes Rathaus Göttingen (First Floor)
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen

 

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Ever since Michel Foucault’s writings on biopolitics and Donna Haraway’s fundamental critique of so-called scientific ‘fact-making’, there has been a clear argument that the life sciences by no means take place in a neutral, purely fact-based space, but rather a) depend on the choice of methodology, the instruments used and the experimental design selected, and b) certainly have social implications, with power relations being inscribed into the research and its results. Ultimately, this can lead to science reinforcing social power relations rather than progressively questioning them on the basis of facts. Through his artistic methodology, Köhnke dismantles the dominant body ideal of Western modernity by not only radically broadening the field of vision regarding the human organism, but also by offering a new apparatus of vision. Through the interplay of research and methodology, radically alternative images and models of bodies and organs thus emerge.

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THE REMAINING PROGRAMME

Sun 26 July 2026, 2 – 7 pm
The Grand Finissage
Open until 7 pm (free admission)
Featuring

3 pm
Online exhibition talk
With Roy Köhnke & Stephan Klee
in English and German

4 pm
Guided tour
“Walk and Talk” – through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English

5.00 pm
Panel discussion including visitors
Our Bodies and Egos in these Times
With Stephan Klee, Joos Ziegler and the exhibition guests
in English and German

6.00 pm
Closure

 

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Duration
31 May – 26 Jul 2026

Opening times
Tue – Sun 11 am – 5 pm

Location
Altes Rathaus Göttingen (First Floor)
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen

Entrance Fee:
€ 3,00 / € 1,50 (reduced)
Free admission for guests under 18
Free admission with Kulturticket
Vernissagen and Finissagen are free of admission

 

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Event images:
Roy Köhnke ‘Bugs series’ (detail), 2024, pigment print on aluminium | Part of the exhibition ‘It is Stronger than I Thought’, curated by Julien Arnaud, ADAGP | Photo: Salim Santa Lucia | Courtesy of the artist

 

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ABOUT THE ARTIST
From sculptures and drawings to multimedia installations, Roy Köhnke’s work combines cutting-edge technology with basic craftsmanship. His project aims to overcome physical boundaries by reconnecting the body’s physical characteristics and narratives with its surroundings, whilst simultaneously treating the body as a distinct territory and narrative in its own right. By working with new technologies such as MRI or emotional AI, he explores alternatives to prevailing science fiction narratives in order to restore a body that has been fragmented and isolated by the dominance of science and Western culture. His often situational, transformative and collaborative installations are sites of interaction, much like a film set, where new types of biotechnological/queer organisms develop and assert their coexistence with vigour and vitality. His research focuses on techno-biological/co-evolutionary mechanisms, viewed through the broader prism of social justice, environmental justice and trans struggles.

more informationen >> roykohnke.com/

 

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THE ANNUAL  PROGRAMME

TRANSHUMAN (2026)
>POSTHUMAN (2027)

The Kunstverein Göttingen continues to follow the proven two-year biennial programme rhythm in order to enable the most in-depth examination possible of the programme’s overarching themes. After TERRA DIASPORA (2024–2025) explored contemporary phenomena, our current programme looks to the near and distant future.
The two-year programme TRANSHUMAN >POSTHUMAN (2026 > 2027) takes a critical look at the global transformation anticipated by some schools of thought: the transition from the anthropocentric humans of our time to the technically optimised transhumans of the near future and, even further into the future of our species, to posthumans. In short: the development of humanity from modern humanism to transhumanism to posthumanism.

The basic theme for the first year is TRANSHUMAN (2026) and includes four solo exhibitions and one group exhibition, bringing together artistic approaches and works to form a collection of perspectives and aspects of transhumanism. The formal and thematic basis of all exhibitions is the artistic exploration of the acceleration of technological development and capitalist growth, and the desired biotechnological optimisation of the human body and mind. The resulting social upheavals are already taking place in many ways in our present, with drastic consequences for coexistence within the span of a generation. These acute experiences flow into the visions of the approaching future and into the collective critical reflection of both the artists and our audience. With this in mind, a wide-ranging discourse and education programme is offered. We also aim to publish the annual programme again. The ideology of transhumanism should not be propagated uncritically, but rather deconstructed as critically as possible, collectively and on the basis of the works on display. We cordially invite all interested parties to join us.

 

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We would like to thank our sponsors: Niedersächsische Sparkassenstiftung, Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Stadt Göttingen, Sparkasse Göttingen und Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen e.V.

 

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