Tag Archive for: Solo Ausstellung

Finissage – Mit Borrás

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INVITATION
FINISSAGE
Sun 12 Apr 3 – 5 pm

TRANSHUMAN N°1
Mit Borrás
NATORU ナとル

The final week of Mit Borrás’s vibrant exhibition NATORU ナとル has begun, and it will conclude with a closing event on Sunday, 12 April 2026, from 3 pm to 5 pm. If you haven’t yet had the chance to visit, we would like to take this opportunity to warmly invite you to come and see the exhibition.
We also recommend attending the closing event, which will include a drinks reception. At 3 pm, Artistic Director Stephan Klee will lead a guided tour of the exhibition for those interested. Several large-scale video installations featuring intertwining soundscapes are complemented by expansive installations and minimalist object assemblages. The works will be presented and discussed in a ‘walk and talk’ format, whilst at the same time offering all participants the opportunity for active discourse on the deeper themes behind the artworks. We look forward to seeing you there.

Location
Künstlerhaus Göttingen (1. OG)
Gotmarstraße 1
37073 Göttingen – Gemany


ONGOING PROGRAMME

Sun, 12 Apr, 3–5 p.m.
Finissage
3 pm
Guided tour and discussion – ‘Walk and Talk’
through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English
4 pm
Closure

 

…

“The core of the exhibition title ‘nato’ comes from Latin and has multiple meanings: e.g. ‘to be born’ or the first-person form of ‘to swim,’ ‘to surge,’ ‘to billow’ and ‘to sway’, or even just ‘the children.’ In Spanish, “nato” simply means ‘born.’ The Japanese syllable ‘Ru’ rounds off the title and not only refers to the Japanese inspiration in the exhibition, but also underlines the active character of the title, as “Ru” often finalises verbs in Japanese. “NATURO” could be loosely translated as ‘continuous creation’, for example.
This meaning and connection between Western and Far Eastern culture in the title is no coincidence, but underlines the deeper concept of the exhibition. Inspired by the mystical Aokigahara forest in Japan, Mit Borrás creates an environment for the birth and presence of future creatures in the Künstlerhaus. To this end, he combines the directive power of prophecies in the video L.Y.R.A.- The Oracle (2025) with the essential significance of the forest for human existence in the central projection HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022). And finally, the artist is already breathing life into a new species; the presence of this breathing sculpture permeates the spaces.”
…

 

event images:
Mit Borrás Hanaba. Adaptasi Cycle. Film. Installation | Performance. Work by Mit Borrás. Art Director Rachel Lamot, Music Daniel Vacas Peralta. With Weixin Quek Chong, Written by Mit Borrás & Rachel Lamot, Fashion Design Kim Rosario, Fashion Design Path by Janine Grosche, Drone Liu Zhang, Drone Field, Jesús Moreno, Clinical Department Gómez Bravo, Dental department Dentix, Relevium, Make Up Andréa Méndez, Eloy Noguera Atienza, Production Design Cavve. Images courtesy of the artist, 2023

 

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Mit Borrás (b. 1982, Madrid) is a Spanish visual artist based between Madrid and Berlin, recognized for his pioneering work and groundbreaking contributions to contemporary visual arts, videoart, media installation and digital art with performance. His transdisciplinary practice delves into the complex interplay between humanity, nature, and technology, frequently exploring themes such as adaptation, post-humanism, bioethics, and digital sensuality through immersive video installations, performances, and multimedia works. Borrás’s art is distinguished by its ability to merge the ancient with the futuristic, forging speculative mythologies that reflect profound societal transformations.

The central body of work Adaptasi, explores the artist’s personal worldview in his more recent oeuvre. Over the years, art director Rachel Lamot and many other contributors have created a multimedia cycle consisting of the following six parts: PHANTOM LIMB (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), HEAVVEN (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), EUPHORIA (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), YOKAI スワミ (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HERMES (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2025). The title ‘Adaptasi’ refers to the ability to adapt, to adjust. With HANABA 突变花 as its central work, the Adaptasi cycle is also strongly represented in Göttingen, albeit as the basis for an independent artistic narrative strand.

more information >>https://mitborras.com

 

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 DISAPORA (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.

 

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

 

 

Vernissage – Mit Borrás

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VERNISSAGE –
INVITATION
Sat 28 Feb 5 – 8 pm

TRANSHUMAN N°1
Mit Borrás
NATORU ナとル

Shortly after the snow melts, the Kunstverein Göttingen heralds the start of the new exhibition year and warmly welcomes you. Spanish artist Mit Borrás kicks off the season with the colourful exhibition NATORU ナとル.

Expansive installations and minimalist object assemblages complement several large video installations with intertwining soundscapes. We invite you to come and see for yourself, listen to the opening and introductory speeches, take a short tour of the transformed rooms with curator Stephan Klee, and join us in toasting the start of the artistic year. The artist will be present.


Location
Künstlerhaus Göttingen (1st Floor)
Gotmarstraße 1
37073 Göttingen – Germany

FURTHER PROGRAMME

Sun 8 Mar / Sun 15 Mar / Sun 29 Mar
at 3 pm each day
Sunday Guided Tour with Joos Ziegler

Sun, 12 Apr, 3–5 p.m.
Finissage
3 pm
Guided tour and discussion – ‘Walk and Talk’
through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English
4 pm
Closure

 

…

” The core of the exhibition title ‘nato’ comes from Latin and has multiple meanings: e.g. ‘to be born’ or the first-person form of ‘to swim,’ ‘to surge,’ ‘to billow’ and ‘to sway’, or even just ‘the children.’ In Spanish, “nato” simply means ‘born.’ The Japanese syllable ‘Ru’ rounds off the title and not only refers to the Japanese inspiration in the exhibition, but also underlines the active character of the title, as “Ru” often finalises verbs in Japanese. NATURO could be loosely translated as ‘continuous creation’, for example.
This meaning and connection between Western and Far Eastern culture in the title is no coincidence, but underlines the deeper concept of the exhibition. Inspired by the mystical Aokigahara forest in Japan, Mit Borrás creates an environment for the birth and presence of future creatures in the Künstlerhaus. To this end, he combines the directive power of prophecies in the video L.Y.R.A.- The Oracle (2025) with the essential significance of the forest for human existence in the central projection HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022). And finally, the artist is already breathing life into a new species; the presence of this breathing sculpture permeates the spaces. ”
…


Event Images:
Mit Borrás. Hanaba. Aadaptasi Cycle. Film. Installation | Performance. Work by MIt Borrás. Art Director Rachel Lamot, Music Daniel Vacas Peralta. With Weixin Quek Chong, Written by Mit Borrás & Rachel Lamot, Fashion Design Kim Rosario, Fashion Design Path by Janine Grosche, Drone Liu Zhang, Drone Field, Jesús Moreno, Clinical Department Gómez Bravo, Dental department Dentix, Relevium, Make Up Andréa Méndez, Eloy Noguera Atienza, Production Design Cavve. Images courtesy of the artist, 2023

 

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mit Borrás (b. 1982, Madrid) is a Spanish visual artist based between Madrid and Berlin, recognized for his pioneering work and groundbreaking contributions to contemporary visual arts, videoart, media installation and digital art with performance. His transdisciplinary practice delves into the complex interplay between humanity, nature, and technology, frequently exploring themes such as adaptation, post-humanism, bioethics, and digital sensuality through immersive video installations, performances, and multimedia works. Borrás’s art is distinguished by its ability to merge the ancient with the futuristic, forging speculative mythologies that reflect profound societal transformations.

The central body of work Adaptasi, explores the artist’s personal worldview in his more recent oeuvre. Over the years, art director Rachel Lamot and many other contributors have created a multimedia cycle consisting of the following six parts: PHANTOM LIMB (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), HEAVVEN (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), EUPHORIA (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), YOKAI スワミ (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HERMES (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2025). The title ‘Adaptasi’ refers to the ability to adapt, to adjust. With HANABA 突变花 as its central work, the Adaptasi cycle is also strongly represented in Göttingen, albeit as the basis for an independent artistic narrative strand.

more information >>https://mitborras.com

 

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 DISAPORA (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.

 

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

 

 

Exhibition – Mit Borrás

/in , , /by

TRANSHUMAN N°1
Mit Borrás
NATORU ナとル

curated by Stephan Klee

Vernissage
Saturday, 28 Feb 5 – 8 pm

Duration
1 Mar – 12 Apr 2026
Tue – Fri 2 – 6 pm
Sat – Sun 11 am – 5 pm

Location
Künstlerhaus Göttingen (1st floor)
Gotmarstraße 1
37073 Göttingen– Germany

INTRODUCTION
Is the creation of a near-perfect universal utopia, in which nature, technology and human existence have finally found a balanced and flourishing coexistence, also one of the achievements of contemporary art? At the start of the year, the Kunstverein Göttingen gives a clearly positive answer to this question and, in doing so, provides some valid arguments for not viewing transhumanist developments with scepticism alone.
The first solo exhibition of the new year’s programme, 2026 TRANSHUMAN, is organised by Spanish artist Mit Borrás and is entitled NATORU ナとル. In a conceptual interplay of different media, the Madrid-based artist paints a visually stunning, immersive vision of how great the future could be. Admittedly, this is a rather rare approach in our sceptical times, but precisely for this reason, it is perhaps a liberating concept and a good introduction to the topic of transhuman tendencies.

With a strong focus on new technologies such as computer renderings and digital filters, 3D printing, animated videos and drone camera flights in his expressive media, Mit Borrás has been working systematically for years on elaborate video productions, always appropriately fused with immersive spatial settings in a striking design with high recognition value. For these elaborate works, he runs the production company CAVVE in Madrid together with his art director and partner Rachel Lamot. As a congenial duo, they maintain very fruitful connections to the performance and video art scene, but also to related scientific disciplines such as philosophy, the biosciences and cybernetics.
The artist is strongly inspired by the post-structural dispositives of cyberfeminism, post-naturalism and transhumanism, which open his eyes to the possibilities of technology and species hybridity. At the same time, he also places himself firmly in the traditions of animism, shamanism, spiritualism and mysticism, some of which date back thousands of years, which stems from and further nourishes his deep connection to nature. Significantly influenced by the theories of Donna Haraway, Bruno Latour, Mark Fischer and Gilles Deleuze, Mit Borrás follows a cyclical, fluid, post-patriarchal and ecological worldview, which is also strongly reflected in his works. These are mostly characterised by a seductively fertile, effective and sometimes meditative fusion of technology, nature and humanity, which has defined all his recent work since 2017.

The core of the exhibition title ‘nato’ comes from Latin and has multiple meanings: e.g. ‘to be born’ or the first-person form of ‘to swim,’ ‘to surge,’ ‘to billow’ and ‘to sway’, or even just ‘the children.’ In Spanish, “nato” simply means ‘born.’ The Japanese syllable ‘Ru’ rounds off the title and not only refers to the Japanese inspiration in the exhibition, but also underlines the active character of the title, as “Ru” often finalises verbs in Japanese. “NATURO” could be loosely translated as ‘continuous creation’, for example.
This meaning and connection between Western and Far Eastern culture in the title is no coincidence, but underlines the deeper concept of the exhibition. Inspired by the mystical Aokigahara forest in Japan, Mit Borrás creates an environment for the birth and presence of future creatures in the Künstlerhaus. To this end, he combines the directive power of prophecies in the video L.Y.R.A.- The Oracle (2025) with the essential significance of the forest for human existence in the central projection HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022). And finally, the artist is already breathing life into a new species; the presence of this breathing sculpture permeates the spaces.
This interconnection of works in the exhibition space highlights variations in the exchange of impulses, information and materials. Staging the boundaries of species and transcending the boundaries of animate and inanimate matter, these diverse variations explore new forms of cooperation and cohabitation. The potentials on display reinforce the hope that mutual adaptation, proactive forms of empathy and cross-species fusions, combined with new technologies, could lead to a sustainable future for all. Providing a forum for this affirmative version of progress was not only necessary for artistic quality but also to balance the desired discursive exchange with a positive prognosis.

 

PROGRAMME
Sat, 28 Feb 5 – 8 pm
Vernissage
Welcome speeches and introduction to the exhibition
by curator Stephan Klee

Sun 8 Mar / Sun 15 Mar / Sun 29 Mar
at 3 pm each day
Sunday Guided Tour with Joos Ziegler

Sun, 12 Apr, 3–5 p.m.
Finissage
3 pm
Guided tour and discussion – ‘Walk and Talk’
through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English
4 pm
Closure

 

Event Images:
Mit Borrás. Hanaba. Aadaptasi Cycle. Film. Installation | Performance. Work by MIt Borrás. Art Director Rachel Lamot, Music Daniel Vacas Peralta. With Weixin Quek Chong, Written by Mit Borrás & Rachel Lamot, Fashion Design Kim Rosario, Fashion Design Path by Janine Grosche, Drone Liu Zhang, Drone Field, Jesús Moreno, Clinical Department Gómez Bravo, Dental department Dentix, Relevium, Make Up Andréa Méndez, Eloy Noguera Atienza, Production Design Cavve. Images courtesy of the artist, 2023

 

 

ABOUT THE ARTIST
Mit Borrás (b. 1982, Madrid) is a Spanish visual artist based between Madrid and Berlin, recognized for his pioneering work and groundbreaking contributions to contemporary visual arts, videoart, media installation and digital art with performance. His transdisciplinary practice delves into the complex interplay between humanity, nature, and technology, frequently exploring themes such as adaptation, post-humanism, bioethics, and digital sensuality through immersive video installations, performances, and multimedia works. Borrás’s art is distinguished by its ability to merge the ancient with the futuristic, forging speculative mythologies that reflect profound societal transformations.

The central body of work Adaptasi, explores the artist’s personal worldview in his more recent oeuvre. Over the years, art director Rachel Lamot and many other contributors have created a multimedia cycle consisting of the following six parts: PHANTOM LIMB (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), HEAVVEN (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2021), EUPHORIA (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HANABA 突变花 (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), YOKAI スワミ (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2022), HERMES (ADAPTASI CYCLE 2025). The title ‘Adaptasi’ refers to the ability to adapt, to adjust. With HANABA 突变花 as its central work, the Adaptasi cycle is also strongly represented in Göttingen, albeit as the basis for an independent artistic narrative strand.

more information >>https://mitborras.com

 

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 DISAPORA (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.

 

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

 

The Long Afternoon of Art – Marjolijn Dijkman

/in , , , /by

THE LONG AFTERNOON OF ART

AKTIVES TERRAIN N°4
Marjolijn Dijkman
Between the Lines

We present the final Long Afternoon of Art in 2025 and warmly welcome you to attend.

The Long Afternoon of Art
Saturday, 6 December, 3 – 7 pm
At the end of the year, the team at Kunstverein Göttingen invites you to a varied afternoon combining content-based communication of the solo exhibition and a charity campaign for the Kunstverein for the season. Artist Marjolijn Dijkman and curator Stephan Klee will be present at the exhibition and have put together a varied programme. In addition, the Kunstverein will present an overview of all exhibition editions of the two-year TERRA DIASPORA exhibition programme (2024–2025), offering visitors the opportunity to take home a work of art as a gift while also supporting culture in the city. We will be there for the entire four hours. You can come and go as you please, and admission to the event is free.

Stephan Klee will open the afternoon at 3 pm with a guided tour of the exhibition. Afterwards, there will be time to delve deeper into the exhibition and examine the editions on display. At 5 pm, there will be a panel discussion between artist Marjolijn Dijkman, Prof. Dr Lasafam Iturrizaga from the University of Göttingen and artistic director Stephan Klee on the topic of ‘Geomorphology and Ecological Transformation in Economic Growth’. Prof. Dr Lasafam Iturrizaga from the University of Göttingen and artistic director Stephan Klee on the topic of ‘Geomorphology and Ecological Transformation in Economic Growth.’ Using examples from around the world and the region, we will discuss how industrial production and expansive geopolitics are massively changing the geographical landscape and biochemical cycles in the affected territories. Stephan Klee will be responsible for preparing and moderating the discussion this time. The introduction and the audience-inclusive discourse at the end will be in German and English, but the three-way discussion in the middle will be conducted largely in English to ensure a natural flow of conversation for our English-speaking panel guests.
After the joint discussion at the end of the open panel discussion, there will be time for personal conversations and questions until 7 p.m. Throughout the Long Afternoon of Art, we will serve pastries and warm drinks in keeping with the festive season.

Location
Altes Rathaus / 1. OG
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen

Further programme of the exhibition

Sat 6 Dec 3 pm – 7 pm
The Long Afternoon of Art
Admission is free

3 pm – 7 pm
Presentation of the Editions
Comprehensive presentation of the exhibition edition
and all editions of the TERRA DIASPORA exhibition programme (2024/2025)
The proceeds will go towards the charitable work of the Kunstverein Göttingen e.V.

3 pm
Guided tour through the exhibition
with Stephan Klee

5 pm
Open panel discussion
Activated Terrains –
Geomorphology and Ecological Transformation in Economic Growth
with Marjolijn Dijkman (artist), apl. Prof. Dr Lasafam Iturrizaga and Stephan Klee
How does economic exploitation by humans change the nature of the Earth in terms of its appearance, composition and the coexistence of species? How can political and social conflicts become inscribed in the affected territories and leave a lasting mark on them? It is not only since the Industrial Revolution that humans have been actively and mostly consciously shaping the landscapes of this planet through their actions. Significant areas of ‘geomorphology’, i.e. the substantial reshaping of the globe, are now the result of human activity. As a result, since at least the last century, we have been living in the Anthropocene, the man-made geological epoch.
Marjolijn Dijkman has artistically manifested some striking examples of this dynamic and brought them to Göttingen. In this way, the processes in question, made vivid and comprehensible in a creative way, can form the basis for a discussion. Prof. Dr. Lasafam Iturrizaga contributes her expertise, wealth of experience and regional examples from the field of geomorphology to the topic, while Stephan Klee will attempt to draw parallels with global developments and their impact on culture. Afterwards, we will open the discussion to the audience to clarify any remaining questions and engage in a possible discourse together.
The discussion will be held in German and English for the introduction and final audience discourse,
while the middle section of the discussion between the panel guests will be held in English only.

6 pm
Closure

 

Sun 7 Dec 3 – 5 pm
Finissage
3 – 5 pm
Presentation of the Editions
Comprehensive presentation of all editions of the TERRA DIASPORA exhibition programme (2024/2025)
3 pm
Guided tour and discussion – ‘Walk and Talk’
through the exhibition with artist Marjolijn Dijkman
and curator Stephan Klee in German and English
4 pm
Closure

>> To help us plan better, we would be grateful if you could make reservations for individual programme items at info@kunstvereingoettingen.de or klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de, respectively by telephone under +49 (0) 551-44899

Eventimage: Marjolijn Dijkman Earthing Discharge (crop out), courtesy the artist and NOME Berlin,
Photo and all rights by Marjolijn Dijkman, published without fee with the friendly agreement of the artist

 

…

Brussels-based Dutch artist Marjolijn Dijkman concludes our exhibition series TERRA DIASPORA – AKTIVE TERRAINS in 2025 with unusually elaborate, spatially accessible arrangements. For example, a tonally animated forest area transfers the former front lines of Verdun with original trees and shrapnel into the exhibition rooms, artificially produced fulgurites of rare earths from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Belgium define silicon sand areas, and microorganisms multiply in glass-filled water samples from the Göttingen region in a room-filling metal framework.”
…

 

THE EDITION OF THE SHOW

 


Marjolijn Dijkman
Earthing Discharge
Edition for the Kunstverein Göttingen, 2025

Edition size 12 + 5 AP, H 29.7 cm x W 42 cm (A 3), archival inkjet pigment print (Fine Art Long Duration Inkjet Print) on HAHNEMÜHLE PHOTO RAG, velvety–matt, natural white, acid-free, 100% cellulose, 308 g/sqm

Courtesy of the artist
Price: €320 / €240 for members of KV Göttingen

The artificially generated ‘earthing discharge’ of hard coal creates unique structures of electrical sparks and transports viewers into a precisely captured world of formerly natural energy flows. However, it is precisely this combination that also symbolises two of the most important industrial revolutions: the comprehensive use of hard coal and electricity in production processes. These ‘releases’ of human resource exploitation and their effects on organically animated terrestrial zones are exemplary of the themes in Marjolijn Dijkman’s work and our 2025 annual programme.

> If you are interested, please contact us here: klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de

 

VITA Marjolijn Dijkman

Marjolijn Dijkman (1978, NL) is an artist and co-founder of Enough Room for Space. She lives and works in Brussels (BE) and Lahaymeix (FR).
 
She studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam in 2001 and at the MFA Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam in 2003, and was a researcher at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht from 2006 to 2007.

She is currently part of the artistic research cluster Deep Histories Fragile Memories as a PhD student at the LUCA School of Arts Brussels / University of Leuven, supervised by Wendy Morris and Kyveli Mavrokordopoulou (2023-2027).

In 2005, she founded Enough Room for Space (ERforS) together with Maarten Vanden Eynde. Enough Room for Space is an interdependent art organisation that initiates experimental collaborative research projects. We tend to operate as freely as possible and to transcend the boundaries between disciplines (artistic, scientific or activist).

more informationen >>www.marjolijndijkman.com

The annual programme 2025
TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS

TERRA DIASPORA is the leitmotif of the Kunstverein Göttingen 2024–2025. In view of fundamental upheavals in the coexistence of nature and mankind, TERRA DIASPORA stands for a world on the move; for a terrain that is becoming increasingly alien to its inhabitants and for an earth on which people are becoming foreign bodies. It is an earth in a foreign land, a terra diaspora.
After the first part of the TERRA DIASPORA – WELTEN WANDELN programme series in 2024 explored contemporary forms of fantastic, figurative art, TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is the Kunstverein’s current motto for 2025. As the second part of the comprehensive TERRA DIASPORA exhibition series, the fundamental distortions in the relationship between nature and man in our present day are shown and discussed here using real geographical case studies and the creative reaction of artists to precisely these conditions in Göttingen. This annual programme is also developed and supervised by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists and related curators.

We would like to thank our sponsors: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Stadt Göttingen, Sparkasse Göttingen und Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen e.V. . We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our essential supporters from the Netherlands: Mondriaan Fund and from Belgium: the Flanders Culture Fund.

Vernissage – Marjolijn Dijkman

/in , , /by

VERNISSAGE

AKTIVES TERRAIN N°4
Marjolijn Dijkman
Between the Lines

You are cordially invited to the final exhibition of the year.

Vernissage
Saturday, 11 October at 5 p.m.
The rooms in the Old Town Hall have been filled with expansive, immersive installations, and the KVG team is delighted to present three extensive areas of research in the work of Marjolijn Dijkmans. After the welcome speech by the managing director and introductory words by the artistic director, there will be plenty of time to explore the exhibition. The artist and curator will be present and available for conversation over a drink or two. The event will then end at 7 p.m.

Location
Altes Rathaus / 1. Floor
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen

Upcoming Programme

Sun 19 Oct / Sun 2 Nov
each at 3 pm
Sunday Tour with Joos Ziegler

Sat 6 Dec 3 – 7 pm
The Long Afternoon of Art

3 pm
Exhibition Tour
with Stephan Klee
4 pm
Presentation & Sound Performance
by the artist Nele Möller
5:30 pm
Roundtable Discussion
with Marjolijn Dijkman, Nele Möller
and Stephan Klee

Sun 7 Dec 5 pm
Finissage
Comprehensive presentation of the
Edition of the Show
and all editions of the year
3 pm
Guided tour and conversation – “Walk and Talk”
through the exhibition with the artist Marjokijn Dijkman
and the curator Stephan Klee in English and German
4 pm
Conclusion
open till 5 pm

>> To help us plan better, we would be grateful if you could make reservations for individual programme items at info@kunstvereingoettingen.de or klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de, respectively by telephone under +49 (0) 551-44899

Veranstaltungsbild: Marjolijn Dijkman Earthing Discharge (crop out), courtesy the artist and NOME Berlin,
Photo and all rights by Marjolijn Dijkman, published without fee with the friendly agreement of the artist

 

…

Brussels-based Dutch artist Marjolijn Dijkman concludes our exhibition series TERRA DIASPORA – AKTIVE TERRAINS in 2025 with unusually elaborate, spatially accessible arrangements. For example, a tonally animated forest area transfers the former front lines of Verdun with original trees and shrapnel into the exhibition rooms, artificially produced fulgurites of rare earths from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Belgium define silicon sand areas, and microorganisms multiply in glass-filled water samples from the Göttingen region in a room-filling metal framework.”
…

THE EDITION OF THE SHOW

 


Marjolijn Dijkman
Earthing Discharge
Edition for the Kunstverein Göttingen, 2025

Edition size 12 + 5 AP, H 29.7 cm x W 42 cm (A 3), archival inkjet pigment print (Fine Art Long Duration Inkjet Print) on HAHNEMÜHLE PHOTO RAG, velvety–matt, natural white, acid-free, 100% cellulose, 308 g/sqm

Courtesy of the artist
Price: €320 / €240 for members of KV Göttingen

The artificially generated ‘earthing discharge’ of hard coal creates unique structures of electrical sparks and transports viewers into a precisely captured world of formerly natural energy flows. However, it is precisely this combination that also symbolises two of the most important industrial revolutions: the comprehensive use of hard coal and electricity in production processes. These ‘releases’ of human resource exploitation and their effects on organically animated terrestrial zones are exemplary of the themes in Marjolijn Dijkman’s work and our 2025 annual programme.

> If you are interested, please contact us here: klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de

VITA Marjolijn Dijkman

Marjolijn Dijkman (1978, NL) is an artist and co-founder of Enough Room for Space. She lives and works in Brussels (BE) and Lahaymeix (FR).
 
She studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam in 2001 and at the MFA Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam in 2003, and was a researcher at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht from 2006 to 2007.

She is currently part of the artistic research cluster Deep Histories Fragile Memories as a PhD student at the LUCA School of Arts Brussels / University of Leuven, supervised by Wendy Morris and Kyveli Mavrokordopoulou (2023-2027).

In 2005, she founded Enough Room for Space (ERforS) together with Maarten Vanden Eynde. Enough Room for Space is an interdependent art organisation that initiates experimental collaborative research projects. We tend to operate as freely as possible and to transcend the boundaries between disciplines (artistic, scientific or activist).

more nformation >>www.marjolijndijkman.com

The annual programme 2025
TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS

TERRA DIASPORA is the leitmotif of the Kunstverein Göttingen 2024–2025. In view of fundamental upheavals in the coexistence of nature and mankind, TERRA DIASPORA stands for a world on the move; for a terrain that is becoming increasingly alien to its inhabitants and for an earth on which people are becoming foreign bodies. It is an earth in a foreign land, a terra diaspora.
After the first part of the TERRA DIASPORA – WELTEN WANDELN programme series in 2024 explored contemporary forms of fantastic, figurative art, TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is the Kunstverein’s current motto for 2025. As the second part of the comprehensive TERRA DIASPORA exhibition series, the fundamental distortions in the relationship between nature and man in our present day are shown and discussed here using real geographical case studies and the creative reaction of artists to precisely these conditions in Göttingen. This annual programme is also developed and supervised by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists and related curators.

 

We would like to thank our sponsors: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Stadt Göttingen, Sparkasse Göttingen und Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen e.V. . We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our essential supporters from the Netherlands: Mondriaan Fund and from Belgium: the Flanders Culture Fund.

Exhibition – Marjolijn Dijkman

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ACTIVE TERRAIN N°4
Marjolijn Dijkman
Between the Lines

curated by Stephan Klee

Vernissage
Saturday, 11 October, 5 pm
Duration
12 October–7 December 2025
Tuesday–Sunday, 11 am – 5 pm

The Brussels-based Dutch artist concludes our exhibition series TERRA DIASPORA – AKTIVE TERRAINS in 2025 with unusually elaborate, spatially accessible arrangements. For example, a tonally animated forest area transfers the former front lines of Verdun with original trees and shrapnel into the exhibition rooms, artificially produced fulgurites of rare earths from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Belgium define silicon sand areas, and microorganisms multiply in glass-filled water samples from the Göttingen region in a room-filling metal framework.
Through spatially accessible arrangements, sculptural objects, photographs and film contributions, the artist succeeds in an inimitable way in making the dynamic upheavals of the regions in question tangible for the audience, thus exemplifying the acute changes taking place on Earth. Or, as she herself says: “I am a research-based and multidisciplinary artist who uses film, photography, sculpture and installation. My work focuses on the intersections between culture and other fields of research. The works themselves are speculative, based in part on facts and research, but often shifted into the realm of imagination. I work on multi-year, process-based research projects that culminate in various works, discursive events, exhibitions and publications.” Multidisciplinary collaboration with other people is important here. In many of these long-term research projects, works are created through close collective creation with other people working on the same topics.
With a scientific foundation and inspiration in uncovering complex interrelationships, Marjolijn Dijkman succeeds in precisely transforming the materials and substances of global processes into concise forms and testimonies. These groups of works embody global eco-geographical changes and make them accessible to visitors on a rational, intuitive and emotional level. Through the artistic manifestations of the changing realities ‘out there,’ a new understanding of the world emerges ‘here with us.’ This finale, in particular, creatively sums up the concept of Active Terrain like no other exhibition in the series.

PROGRAMME
Sat 11 Oct at 5 pm
Vernissage
Welcome speech by Helmut Wenzel,
introduction to the exhibition by the curator Stephan  Klee,
and presentation of the Edition of the Show
open till 7 pm

Sun 19 Oct / Sun 2 Nov
each at 3 pm
Sunday Tour with Joos Ziegler

Sat 6 Dec 3 – 7 pm
The Long Afternoon of Art

3 pm
Exhibition Tour
with Stephan Klee
5 pm
Open panel discussion
Activated Terrains – Geomorphology and Ecological Transformation in Economic Growth
with Marjolijn Dijkman (artist), apl. Prof. Dr Lasafam Iturrizaga and Stephan Klee
with an integrative conversation, including the audience in the end

Sun 7 Dec 5 pm
Finissage
Comprehensive presentation of the
Edition of the Show
and all editions of the year
3 pm
Guided tour and conversation – “Walk and Talk”
through the exhibition with the artist Marjokijn Dijkman
and the curator Stephan Klee in English and German
4 pm
Conclusion
open till 5 pm

>> To help us plan better, we would be grateful if you could make reservations for individual programme items at info@kunstvereingoettingen.de or klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de, respectively by telephone under +49 (0) 551-44899

event image: Marjolijn Dijkman Earthing Discharge (crop out), courtesy the artist and NOME Berlin,
Photo and all rights by Marjolijn Dijkman, published without fee with the friendly agreement of the artist

THE EDITION FOR THE EXHIBITION

 


Marjolijn Dijkman
Earthing Discharge
Edition for the Kunstverein Göttingen, 2025

Edition size 12 + 5 AP, H 29.7 cm x W 42 cm (A 3), archival inkjet pigment print (Fine Art Long Duration Inkjet Print) on HAHNEMÜHLE PHOTO RAG, velvety–matt, natural white, acid-free, 100% cellulose, 308 g/sqm

Courtesy of the artist
Price: €320 / €240 for members of KV Göttingen

The artificially generated ‘earthing discharge’ of hard coal creates unique structures of electrical sparks and transports viewers into a precisely captured world of formerly natural energy flows. However, it is precisely this combination that also symbolises two of the most important industrial revolutions: the comprehensive use of hard coal and electricity in production processes. These ‘releases’ of human resource exploitation and their effects on organically animated terrestrial zones are exemplary of the themes in Marjolijn Dijkman’s work and our 2025 annual programme.

 

VITA Marjolijn Dijkman
Marjolijn Dijkman (1978, NL) is an artist and co-founder of Enough Room for Space. She lives and works in Brussels (BE) and Lahaymeix (FR).
 
She studied at the Gerrit Rietveld Academy in Amsterdam in 2001 and at the MFA Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam in 2003, and was a researcher at the Jan van Eyck Academy in Maastricht from 2006 to 2007.

She is currently part of the artistic research cluster Deep Histories Fragile Memories as a PhD student at the LUCA School of Arts Brussels / University of Leuven, supervised by Wendy Morris and Kyveli Mavrokordopoulou (2023-2027).

In 2005, she founded Enough Room for Space (ERforS) together with Maarten Vanden Eynde. Enough Room for Space is an interdependent art organisation that initiates experimental collaborative research projects. We tend to operate as freely as possible and to transcend the boundaries between disciplines (artistic, scientific or activist).

more information >>www.marjolijndijkman.com

The annual programme 2025
TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS

TERRA DIASPORA is the leitmotif of the Kunstverein Göttingen 2024–2025. In view of fundamental upheavals in the coexistence of nature and mankind, TERRA DIASPORA stands for a world on the move; for a terrain that is becoming increasingly alien to its inhabitants and for an earth on which people are becoming foreign bodies. It is an earth in a foreign land, a terra diaspora.
After the first part of the TERRA DIASPORA – WELTEN WANDELN programme series in 2024 explored contemporary forms of fantastic, figurative art, TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is the Kunstverein’s current motto for 2025. As the second part of the comprehensive TERRA DIASPORA exhibition series, the fundamental distortions in the relationship between nature and man in our present day are shown and discussed here using real geographical case studies and the creative reaction of artists to precisely these conditions in Göttingen. This annual programme is also developed and supervised by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists and related curators.

 

We would like to thank our sponsors:  Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Stadt Göttingen, Sparkasse Göttingen und Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen e.V. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our essential supporters from the Netherlands: Mondriaan Fund and from Belgium: the Flanders Culture Fund.

Finissage Asef–Burckhardt

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Finissage
Sunday,  23 February 2025 at 3 pm


ACTIVE TERRAIN N°1
Asef–Burckhardt
SHELTER–BONE
Love in Tough Times

To mark the joint conclusion of the first exhibition of the year, we cordially invite you to the finissage at the Künstlerhaus Göttingen on Sunday, 23 February 2025 at 3 pm. Right at the beginning, the creators of the exhibition, the art duo Asef-Burckhardt, together with the curator Stephan Klee, will host a final tour through the greatly altered rooms. This offers the opportunity to gain direct insights into the work and thoughts of the duo and to enter into further discussions with them and the curator. The exhibition edition can also be viewed again and purchased if you like it – an important support for the work of the Kunstverein.

Sun 23 Feb 2025, 3 – 5 pm
Finissage–Reception with
– 3 pm: Joint tour with artists and curator
– 4 pm: Closure

event image: Asef–Burckhardt SHELTER–BONE, 2023 – 2025, photo creditss: Asef–Burckhardt, VG Bildkunst

 

 

 

…

The wooden residential and communal buildings of Sea Ranch in the north of San Francisco were developed and built in the 1960s by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his wife, choreographer Anna Halprin, together with other ecologic avant-garde thinkers; the buildings are integrated into the rugged cliffs of the Pacific in an exemplary manner. Since then, the settlement has continued to grow and still sets international standards for the interplay between architecture and nature – in other words, “protection” and “environment”.

The works on display in SHELTER-BONE, the current project by the art duo and couple Asef-Burckhardt, are based on extensive periods of research and work in the visionary settlement in Northern California and question, among other things, the current relevance of the original utopia of The Sea Ranch. Against the acute backdrop of the global environmental crisis, new anthropological questions such as “What must architecture connect today?” and “What must love achieve today?” are raised and artistically explored in close relation to this real topography. Consisting of combined, multimedia works, the project is currently being expanded and further developed to be shown in changing settings at international exhibition venues. The Kunstverein is very pleased to be able to show this complex of works in Göttingen under the leitmotif: “What does protection mean in our time?
…

The annual programme 2025 of the Kunstverein Göttingen TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is developed by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists. The duo Asef-Burckhardt will kick off the fresh year with an all–encompassing, sensory–appealing exhibition consisting of several installations, which takes the viewer directly into the beach forests of California, characterised by the forces of nature.
Kirstin Burckhardt (* Durban, South Africa) is an artist and psychotherapist who uses visual and performative means to explore the interactions and emotional bonds between people. Her work focuses on aspects of the body, gesture, touch, communication, and friendship. Mario Asef (* Córdoba, Argentina) is an artist and architect who focuses on the complex interactions in the ecological networks of diverse species in wild and urban nature supported by his distinctive expertise in visual–acoustic recording techniques. Together as the duo Asef-Burkhardt, they not only unfold The Sea Ranch as a multifaceted place of longing for a common artistic quest but also elevate this specific terrain to their guiding coordinates of a new form of dual action between affection and real urgency. With this lively fusion of artistic field research and a productive network of relationships, the Kunstverein Göttingen is taking the first step into the new exhibition year.

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

The Long Afternoon of Art: Asef–Burckhardt

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The Long Afternoon of Art
Saturday, 15 February 2025, starting at 3 pm


ACTIVE TERRAIN N°1
Asef–Burckhardt
SHELTER–BONE
Love in Tough Times

It’s time again for the Long Afternoon of Art at the Kunstverein Göttingen. This time it is dedicated to the multimedia installations of the art duo and couple Asef-Burckhardt and offers plenty of time and opportunity to explore the complex of works in greater depth.
After an open dialogue tour of the exhibition with the curator Stephan Klee starting at 3 pm, we will meet at 5 pm for a panel discussion about the exhibition between Asef-Burckhardt and Elena Engelbrechter from the Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg. Stephan Klee will moderate the debate, which will be held in German. The trialogue follows the motto ‘Love in Tough Times’ and explores the duo’s experiences and insights on and with the Sea Ranch in Northern California. The dialogue will not only address the protective potential of architecture and landscape, but also the extent to which social relationships and affection could be another form of ‘shelter’ in a turbulent world. As is so often the case with our exhibition talks, the podium will be opened up to the audience and there will be an opportunity for joint discussion with the guests.
The late afternoon will end with a lively round of talks, with snacks and drinks provided. We look forward to seeing you there, which will be possible throughout the afternoon.

Sat 15 Feb 25, 3 – 7 pm
The Long Afternoon of Art: SHELTER-BONE
– 3 pm: Guided tour and talk – through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee
– 5 pm: Panel discussion with Asef-Burckhardt and Elena Engelbrechter: Love in Tough Times
– 6 pm: Closure
The artists and the curator will be on-site the whole time, snacks and drinks will be served.

event images: Asef–Burckhardt SHELTER–BONE, 2023 – 2025, photo credits: Asef–Burckhardt, VG Bildkunst

 

 

 

…

The residential and office buildings of the Sea Ranch in the north of San Francisco are integrated into the rugged cliffs of the Pacific. Strong, salt-soaked winds from the sea, rugged rocks in fine sand, and ancient redwood forests characterise the landscape here. The wooden buildings were largely developed and initiated by the landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his wife, the choreographer Anna Halprin, in the 1960s in an ecologically avant-garde community of multi-professional collaborators. Since then, the settlement has continued to grow and still sets international standards for the interplay between architecture and nature – in other words, „protection” and „environment“. But what remains of the Halprins’ utopia at the time – „to live lightly on the land“ and the idealism of a sensitive approach to the environment for us today?

SHELTER-BONE, the current project by the artist couple Asef-Burckhardt, is based on extensive periods of research and work in this visionary settlement in Northern California and presents works created on-site and in Berlin. Against the acute backdrop of the global environmental crisis, new anthropological questions such as ‘What must architecture connect today?’ and ‘What must love achieve today?’ are raised and artistically re-explored in close relation to this real topography. Consisting of combined, multimedia works, the project is currently being actively expanded and further developed in order to be shown in changing settings at international exhibition venues. The Kunstverein is very pleased to be able to show this complex of works in Göttingen under the leitmotif: ‘What does shelter mean in our time?
…

The annual programme 2025 of the Kunstverein Göttingen TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is developed by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists. The duo Asef-Burckhardt will kick off the fresh year with an all–encompassing, sensory–appealing exhibition consisting of several installations, which takes the viewer directly into the beach forests of California, characterised by the forces of nature.
Kirstin Burckhardt (* Durban, South Africa) is an artist and psychotherapist who uses visual and performative means to explore the interactions and emotional bonds between people. Her work focuses on aspects of the body, gesture, touch, communication, and friendship. Mario Asef (* Córdoba, Argentina) is an artist and architect who focuses on the complex interactions in the ecological networks of diverse species in wild and urban nature supported by his distinctive expertise in visual–acoustic recording techniques. Together as the duo Asef-Burkhardt, they not only unfold The Sea Ranch as a multifaceted place of longing for a common artistic quest but also elevate this specific terrain to their guiding coordinates of a new form of dual action between affection and real urgency. With this lively fusion of artistic field research and a productive network of relationships, the Kunstverein Göttingen is taking the first step into the new exhibition year.

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

Vernissage Asef–Burckhardt

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Vernissage
Saturday,  11 January at 5 pm


ACTIVE TERRAIN N°1
Asef–Burckhardt
SHELTER–BONE
Love in Tough Times

We warmly welcome you to the Vernissage on Saturday, January 11, 2025, at 5 pm on the second floor of the Künstlerhaus Göttingen. We will begin with a note of welcome and thanks from the board and a short introductory speech by curator Stephan Klee. Afterward, the various multimedia works will be activated and can be seen and heard for the first time in Göttingen. Among other pieces, the key video installation SHELTER-BONE will be projected in Cinema–Scope format in the main room. During the rest of the opening, the artist Kirstin Burckhardt will realize the performance Burned Song, 2024 by Asef–Burckhardt in personal interaction with the audience. The artist couple Asef-Burckhardt and the curator will be present throughout the event and will be open for further questions and conversations.

Sat 11 Jan 2025 5 – 8 pm
Vernissage – Reception with
– 5:00 pm: Welcome speeches
≈ 5:30 pm: Performance by Kirstin Burckhardt: Burned Song, 2024 by Asef–Burckhardt

all event images: Asef–Burckhardt SHELTER–BONE, 2023 – 2025, photo rights: Asef–Burckhardt, VG Bildkunst

 

 

 

…

The wooden residential and communal buildings of Sea Ranch in the north of San Francisco were developed and built in the 1960s by landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his wife, choreographer Anna Halprin, together with other ecologic avantgarde thinkers; the buildings are integrated into the rugged cliffs of the Pacific in an exemplary manner. Since then, the settlement has continued to grow and still sets international standards for the interplay between architecture and nature – in other words, “protection” and “environment”.

The works on display in SHELTER-BONE, the current project by the art duo and couple Asef-Burckhardt, are based on extensive periods of research and work in the visionary settlement in Northern California and question, among other things, the current relevance of the original utopia of The Sea Ranch. Against the acute backdrop of the global environmental crisis, new anthropological questions such as “What must architecture connect today?” and “What must love achieve today?” are raised and artistically explored in close relation to this real topography. Consisting of combined, multimedia works, the project is currently being expanded and further developed in order to be shown in changing settings at international exhibition venues. The Kunstverein is very pleased to be able to show this complex of works in Göttingen under the leitmotif: “What does protection mean in our time?
…

The annual programme 2025 of the Kunstverein Göttingen TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is developed by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists. The duo Asef-Burckhardt will kick off the fresh year with an all–encompassing, sensory–appealing exhibition consisting of several installations, which takes the viewer directly into the beach forests of California, characterised by the forces of nature.
Kirstin Burckhardt (* Durban, South Africa) is an artist and psychotherapist who uses visual and performative means to explore the interactions and emotional bonds between people. Her work focuses on aspects of the body, gesture, touch, communication, and friendship. Mario Asef (* Córdoba, Argentina) is an artist and architect who focuses on the complex interactions in the ecological networks of diverse species in wild and urban nature supported by his distinctive expertise in visual–acoustic recording techniques. Together as the duo Asef-Burkhardt, they not only unfold The Sea Ranch as a multifaceted place of longing for a common artistic quest but also elevate this specific terrain to their guiding coordinates of a new form of dual action between affection and real urgency. With this lively fusion of artistic field research and a productive network of relationships, the Kunstverein Göttingen is taking the first step into the new exhibition year.

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

Exhibition Asef–Burckhardt

/in , , /by

ACTIVE TERRAIN N°1
Asef–Burckhardt
SHELTER–BONE
Love in Tough Times

event image: Asef–Burckhardt SHELTER–BONE, 2022 – 2025, copyrights: Asef–Burckhardt, VG Bildkunst Bonn


Programme

Sat 11 Jan 2025, 5:00 – 8:00 pm
Vernissage – Reception with
– 5:00 pm: Welcome speeches
≈5:30 pm: Performance by Kirstin Burckhardt

Sat 15 Feb 2025, 3:00 – 7:00 pm
The Long Afternoon of Art with
– 3:00 pm: Curator’s tour of the exhibition with Stephan Klee
– 5:00 pm: Exhibition talk with Asef-Burckhardt and Elena Engelbrechter, Kunstmuseum Wolfsburg
The duo Asef-Burckhardt and the curator Stephan Klee will be on-site

Sun 23 Feb 2025, 3:00 – 5:00 pm
Finissage
– 3:00 pm: Guided tour of the exhibition with the curator Stephan Klee
– 4:00 pm: Closure

In order to be able to plan better, we would be delighted to receive your reservations for individual programme items at info@kunstvereingoettingen.de or klee@kunstvereingoettingen.de or by telephone at 0551-44899

THE EDITION OF THE SHOW

 


Asef-Burckhardt
Hand-Charcoal-Song – Edition, 2024

Edition of 12 + 5 AP
H 22 cm x W 40 cm
Archival inkjet pigment print
(Fine Art Long Duration Inkjet Print) on
EFI GRAVURE PROOF PAPER, semi-gloss
warm white, 245g/sqm, microceramic PE-coated

Courtesy of the artists
Price: 320 € / 240 € for members of KV Göttingen

With this edition, Asef-Burckhardt publishes the striking title motif of their exhibition at the Kunstverein, in which the transformation of our natural resources and the gesture of attentive ‘giving protection’ come together in an impressive way. We are very happy to be able to offer this extraordinary photograph in a small edition and thank the art duo for their great support of our work here for contemporary, young art in Göttingen.

> If you are interested, please contact us here: info@kunstvereingoettingen.de

 

 

Asef–Burckhardt
SHELTER–BONE
Love in Tough Times

The residential and community buildings of Sea Ranch in the north of San Francisco are integrated into the rugged cliffs of the Pacific. Strong, salt–soaked winds from the sea, rugged rocks in fine sand, and ancient redwood forests characterise the landscape here. The wooden buildings were largely developed and initiated by the landscape architect Lawrence Halprin and his wife, the choreographer Anna Halprin, in the 1960s in an ecologically avant-garde community of multi–professional collaborators. Since then, the estate has continued to grow and still sets international standards for the interplay between architecture and nature – in other words, ‘protection’ and ‘environment’. But what remains of the Halprins’ utopia at the time – “to live lightly on the land” and the idealism of a sensitive approach to the environment for us today?

SHELTER-BONE, the current project by the art duo and life couple Asef-Burckhardt, is based on extensive periods of research and work in this visionary settlement in Northern California and presents the works created on-site and in Berlin. Against the acute backdrop of the global environmental crisis, new anthropological questions such as ‘What must architecture connect today?’ and ‘What must love achieve today?’ are raised and artistically explored in close relation to this real topography. Consisting of combined, multimedia works, the project is currently being actively expanded and further developed in order to be shown in changing settings at international exhibition venues. The Kunstverein is very pleased to be able to show this complex of works in Göttingen under the leitmotif: ‘What does protection mean in our time?

Asef–Burckhardt’s multi–layered approach is strongly inspired by the Halprin couple, both in terms of an emotional connection in working together and the parallels to the founding couple’s lives: with Lawrence Halprin as a landscape architect and Anna Halprin as a dancer and performer specialising in ‘embodied healing’, the professional constellation between the two couples is very similar. Interestingly, Mario Asef studied architecture before studying art (where he first heard about the Sea Ranch) and Kirstin Burckhardt is both a performer and a psychologist. The artist couple Halprin had a strong commitment to their surroundings through their joint artistic and interpersonal activities. Not to isolate themselves as ‘lovers’ but to strengthen each other to work together for community building and ecology is also the inspiration for this project.

The fact that Kirstin Burckhardt and Mario Asef activate an expressive unity on the basis of their own relationship and make their network of relationships with the place and its inhabitants the genuine centre of their dual, creative expression underlines the relevance of this shared living and protective space. SHELTER-BONE can therefore also be seen as a contemporary variant of Relational Art: It is not the material, finished object that is the actual work of art, but integrative, social and bio-terrestrial exchange processes that are expressed, manifested and mixed in the presentation in a variety of ways. These include performances on site and in the exhibition space, multimedia recordings of temporary practices in sound and film, artistic research that materialises in archives and artworks, and relationship work. Together as the Asef-Burckhardt duo, they unfold the coastal strip of the Sea Ranch not only as a multi-faceted place of longing for a shared artistic quest in the Far West, but also elevate this specific terrain to their guiding coordinates of a new form of dual action between affection and real urgency. With this lively fusion between artistic field research and a productive network of relationships, the Kunstverein Göttingen is taking the first step into the new exhibition year.

 

Kirstin Burckhardt (b. Durban, South Africa) is a visual artist and psychotherapist who combines video and performance with sound and spoken word. Drawing on her training in psychology and neuroscience, her work critically explores the power dynamics interwoven with the body. By constantly questioning what constitutes a ‘body’, her artistic research focuses on the interpersonal space as a site for negotiating sensitivity, conflict, empathy, transgenerational trauma and the complexity of healing.
 She studied at Hochschule für Bildende Künste Hamburg (Germany), at École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux Arts Lyon (France) and at the Academy of Art Hangzhou (China). At the same time, she studied psychology at the University of Hamburg and works as a clinical psychotherapist in Berlin. Her work has been exhibited internationally in solo and group exhibitions at the KINDL Berlin Centre for Contemporary Art, KAI 10 | Arthena Foundation, Deichtorhallen/Sammlung Falckenberg Hamburg, Hamburger Bahnhof Berlin, Exploratorio in Medellín (COL) and the Goethe Institute Sofia (BUL) and LA (USA). She has worked closely with performing and visual artists from China, Sweden and Colombia and has received work grants from the Fonds Darstellende Künste, the ifa Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen, the Elbkulturfonds and the working grant of the City of Hamburg.
more information: http://k-burckhardt.de

Mario Asef (born in Córdoba, Argentina) is a Berlin-based architect and conceptual artist. Flanked by his extensive expressive possibilities in acoustics and moving image, his projects mainly deal with theoretical and materialised constructions of humanoid-cultivated space, be it the built city or the domesticated landscape. He is also particularly interested in the ecological systems of microorganisms such as lichens and fungi, which form the generative basis of our planet’s flora and fauna. 
 He studied architecture at the University of Architecture and Urban Development in Córdoba, Argentina (Dpl.), and art at Chelsea College for Art and Design in London, England, at the State Academy of Fine Arts in Karlsruhe and at the University of the Arts (UdK) in Berlin, Germany, where he obtained a Master’s degree. His work has been exhibited worldwide, most recently at the Daegu Photo Biennale (South Korea), Quartier 21 (Museumsquartier, Vienna), Wild Palms (Düsseldorf), Silent Green (Berlin), Junge Kunst e.V. (Wolfsburg, Germany), Kasa Galerie (Istanbul), Samzie Space (Seoul), HAUNT/ frontviews (Berlin). Recent museum exhibitions include Hamburger Kunsthalle, Villa Merkel (Esslingen, Germany), Künstlerhaus Bregenz (Austria) and Akademie der Künste Berlin. Since 2014 he has been organising exhibitions, festivals and lectures for Errant Sound e.V., a project space for sound art in Berlin.
more information: https://marioasef.net

The Annual Programme 2025
TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS

TERRA DIASPORA is the leitmotif of the Kunstverein Göttingen 2024-2025. In view of fundamental upheavals in the coexistence of nature and mankind, TERRA DIASPORA stands for a world on the move; for a terrain that is becoming increasingly alien to its inhabitants, and for an earth on which people are becoming foreign bodies. It is an earth in a foreign land, a terra diaspora.
After the first part of the TERRA DIASPORA – WELTEN WANDELN program series in 2024 explored contemporary forms of fantastic, figurative art, TERRA DIASPORA – ACTIVE TERRAINS is the Kunstverein’s current motto for 2025. As the second part of the comprehensive TERRA DIASPORA exhibition series, the fundamental distortions in the relationship between nature and man in our present day are shown and discussed here using real geographical case studies and the creative reaction of artists to precisely these conditions in Göttingen. This annual program is also developed and supervised by curator Stephan Klee together with the participating artists and related curators.

Kirstin Burckhardt (*Durban, South Africa), is a professional artist and therapist, who uses visual and performative techniques to explore the interactions and emotional bonds between people. Aspects of the body, gesture, touch, communication, and friendship are at the centre of her exploration. Mario Asef (Córdoba, Argentina), an educated artist and architect, focuses his attention and his distinctive expertise in visual and acoustic recording techniques on the complex interactions in the ecological networks of diverse species in wild and urban nature. Together as the Asef-Burkhardt duo, they not only unfold the Sea Ranch on the American West Coast as a multifaceted place of longing for a common artistic quest, but also elevate this specific terrain to their guiding coordinates of a new form of dual action between affection and real urgency. With this lively fusion between artistic field research and a productive network of relationships, the Kunstverein Göttingen is taking the first step into the new exhibition year.

We thank our sponsors: Niedersächsisches Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Stadt Göttingen, Landschaftsverband Südniedersachsen e.V. and Sparkasse Göttingen