Tag Archive for: Transhumanismus

Exhibition – Michael Schmid

/in , , /by

The Professur Materialität des Wissens (Chair of Materiality of Knowledge) at the University of Göttingen and the Kunstverein Göttingen present in cooperation as part of the “Art from Collections” series:

TRANSHUMAN N°3
Michael Schmid
Support for Speakers


Vernissage
Saturday, 11 July 5 pm
opened till 8 pm
(No admission fee)

Duration
12 Jul – 23 Aug 2026
Tue – Fri 4 pm – 6 pm
Sat + Sun 11 am – 4 pm

Location
Künstlerhaus Göttingen (1. floor)
Gotmarstraße 1
37073 Göttingen
Germany

Admission Fee:
€ 3,00 / € 1,50 (reduced)
Free admission for guests aged 18 and under
Free admission with a Kultur Ticket
Free admission to exhibition Vernissages and Finissages

 

INTRODUCTION

Building on his artistic research at various locations across the University of Göttingen, the artist Michael Schmid has been developing a body of work since 2022 that explores the material, structural and aesthetic forms of carrying, storing and conveying knowledge. He is doing so in response to an invitation from the Göttingen Chair in the Materiality of Knowledge, headed by Prof. Dr Margarete Vöhringer and Dr Jana August.

The resulting photographic and sculptural works are now being brought together for the first time in a solo exhibition at the Künstlerhaus Göttingen. Photographs, objects and installation elements explore the conditions under which knowledge, images and meanings are made visible, stored and passed on. The entire project thus culminates in close collaboration between the artist, the team at the Chair and the team at the Kunstverein Göttingen. We are delighted about this collaboration and would like to extend our special thanks to Prof. Vöhringer and Dr August for their initiative in bringing about this collaborative project.

 

PROGRAMME

Sat 11 July from 5 pm
Vernissage
Welcome speeches and an introduction to the exhibition by Dr Jana August (University of Göttingen, concept and project management), Helmut Wenzel (Managing Director, KVG) and Stephan Klee (Artistic Director, KVG)
The artist and the curators will be in attendance
Open until 8 pm; admission is free

Sun 2 Aug | Sun 16 Aug
each at 3 pm
Sunday–Tour with Joos Ziegler and Stephan Klee

Sat 22 Aug at 5 pm
Paneltalk about the Exhibition
With Michael Schmid, Dr. Jana August and Stephan Klee

Sun 23 Aug from 3 pm
Finissage
opened till 5 pm incl.
3 pm
Guided Tour
“Walk and Talk” – through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee, in German and English
4 om
Closure
(No admission fee)

 

Event images:
Michael Schmid, without title (Mathematisches Institut, Bunsenstraße) 2022/2026, inkjet print, 25×20 cm, VG Bildkunst Bonn | Courtesy of the artist

 


ABOUT THE ARTIST

Michael Schmid is an artist with an emphasis on photography. He trained at the Academy of Graphic Arts and Book Design under Prof. Beate Gütschow and at the University of the Arts Bremen under the teachers duo Prof. Korpys/Löffler. It was in this class that he obtained his diploma in 2013 and his master’s degree in 2014. Schmid’s reduced, focused photographs and objects are based on the forms and surfaces of objects – mostly familiar ones – from our everyday surroundings in Western societies. Through the conceptual use of a wide and innovative range of image-processing techniques, the artist reveals aspects of images and objects – and their everyday originals – that would otherwise easily have been overlooked. Through these often subtle and subversive shifts and clustering of our gaze, he not only opens up new ways of looking at the original objects and structures behind the images, but also clearly challenges the very notion of what an image is, or can be, within the exhibition space. Indeed, one might even derive the following question: How is our everyday reality actually constituted?

Michael Schmid’s work has been exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including at the Museum Weserburg in Bremen, the Michal Horbach Foundation in Cologne and his own gallery, K’in, in Bremen. His work has been supported by various grants and funding schemes, including the USA Project Grant (Senat für Kultur, Bremen, 2019), the DAAD scholarship for Los Angeles, USA (2018) and the catalogue grant from the Senator for Culture, Bremen (Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur, Niedersachsen), 2016. Project grant, Waldemar Koch Foundation, Bremen. In 2015, he received the Bremer Förderpreis (Bremen Supporting Prize) from the Städtische Galerie, Bremen.
The artist was born in Langenau in 1981; he now lives and works in Berlin.

more informationen >> schmidmichael.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 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.

 

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

 

Vernissage – Roy Köhnke

/in , , /by

>>
INVITATION –
VERNISSAGE
Sa 30 May 5 – 8 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 centre 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 a break of just under two months, we are now all the more delighted to be able to introduce you not only to the new art but also to the French artist himself at the opening. You are warmly invited and welcome.

Of course, there will be opening speeches at the start, at 5 pm, and chilled drinks will be provided. The entire exhibition takes place exclusively in summer daylight; heavy doors have been reinstalled, and the rest is best discovered for yourself – admission is free.

With best regards,
Your team at the Kunstverein Göttingen

 

Location
Altes Rathaus Göttingen (1st Floor)
Markt 9
37073 Göttingen

 

…

The French artist Roy Köhnke (*1990) is ideally suited to explore this contentious subject matter in Göttingen through sculptural-installative works from the field of contemporary sculpture. The eponymous work BEING FLESH, 2023, a multimedia installation that transforms the exhibition space into a kind of open body, is a good example of his approach: the installation consists of architecturally arranged membrane frames through which the audience passes. In the opening passageways, a series of biomorphic sculptures is brought to life by a sensory video created using scans of these sculptures taken with a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.

…

 

COMPLETE PROGRAMME

Sat 30 May from 5 pm
Vernissage
Welcome speeches and introduction to the exhibition
The artist and curator will be in attendance
Open until 8 pm, free admission

Sun 7 Jun / Sun 21 Jun / Sun 29 Jun
3 pm on each day
Sunday tour with Joos Ziegler

Sun 26 Jul 2026 2 pm – 7 pm
The Grand Finissage
Open until 7 pm (free admission) with
3 – 4 pm
Guided tour
“Walk and Talk” – through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English
5 – 6 pm
Exhibition discussion
With Roy Köhnke, Stephan Klee and a special guest
6 pm
Closure

 

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

 

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

 

 


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 information  >> roykohnke.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 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.

 

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

 

Exhibition – Roy Köhnke

/in , , /by

TRANSHUMAN N°2
Roy Köhnke
Being Flesh

curated by Stephan Klee


Vernissage
Saturday 30 May at 5 pm
Open until 8 pm  (free admission)

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

 

INTRODUCTION

“If we start transforming ourselves into something superior, what rights will these enhanced creatures claim, and what rights will they possess when compared to those left behind?” *

Transhumanism primarily aims to optimise, indeed to transcend, the human body as we currently understand it. Key technologies underpinning these aspirations include genetics, bioengineering, artificial intelligence, prosthetics and cryonics (the cryopreservation of bodies). Put positively, the human species is to be ‘empowered’: greater capacity, better senses, higher intelligence independent of location, no more disease and no more ageing. The idealised humanoids are consequently immortal ‘super-subjects’. Their future relationship to the current Homo sapiens remains (as yet) speculative. Whether for the transhuman developments that have long been taking place in our society, or for the ultimate vision of the “superhuman” that excites proponents of the pure doctrine, one thing remains evident: as the object of transhumanism, the human body is fundamentally at the centre; and is thus also central to our 2026 theme: TRANSHUMAN.

Whilst many people welcome scientific, medical and technological progress as opportunities for their bodies, consciously embracing it and actively integrating it into their everyday lives, a newly radicalised transhumanism is degenerating into a powerful ideology on the basis of which economic and political elites strive for physical superiority, boundless wealth and power. Further accelerated by exponentially growing investment capital – the so-called “techno-capital machine” ** – a cut-throat competition for the ‘most optimised’ body is taking hold, which could not only give rise to a techno-enabled elite, but is also gradually and forcibly eroding the free choice of medical-technological enhancement in relation to one’s own body. Bodies would thus become vital demolition zones for the human right to the self-determined integrity of one’s own body.

Against this backdrop, the KVG has chosen to present as the second solo exhibition of the year Roy Köhnke’s Being Flesh, featuring an artist who, whilst primarily exploring the multifaceted relationship between technology and the body, resolutely rejects the emerging techno-capitalist transhumanism as fascistic. Rather, his work explicitly challenges current scientific understanding and social paradigms of the human body by posing fundamental questions: What conception of the human body is actually held in today’s society, and how are bodies treated accordingly?

From groundbreaking studies of proportion, including those by Michelangelo Buonarroti and Leonardo da Vinci (e.g. the ‘Vitruvian Man’), through fundamental scientific works on anatomy, such as Andreas Vesalius’s ‘De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem’, right through to the imaging techniques of modern medicine (X-ray, CT, ultrasound, MRI and nuclear medicine), society’s understanding of the nature and potential of the body has undergone a profound transformation from the Renaissance to the present-day postmodern era. The opaque, fleshy image of God became the vitreous human, and as a perfectly lubricated cellular machine, was seemingly demystified once and for all. This also paved the way for the modern availability of the organism.

How this functionally oriented doctrine about the matter and potential of the body shapes both – our self-image as organic-mechanical beings and the future of our species – Roy Köhnke explores in his works–series. His predominantly drawing- and sculpture-based approach incorporates, amongst other things, medical imaging techniques and draws on our fascination with the comprehensive analysis of our cellular constitution. At the same time, a sense of alienation grows in the face of the medical and mechanical deconstruction of that entity, which we still primarily perceive as a self-determined safe space of flesh, technology and thought: our individual body. For living in an era of accelerated transhumanism could also mean allowing the familiar shelter of one’s own body to be repeatedly transformed by external forces, or rather be deformed? A visit to the installations by the French artist Roy Köhnke in the Old Town Hall may thus also prove to be a reflection — grounded in intense impressions — on our very own sensation of the body in the present day and the near future.

* Francis Fukuyama “Transhumanism” Source Foreign Policy, No. 144 (Sep. – Oct., 2004), pp. 42 – 43

** Nick Land in Essay “Melt Down”, 1995, in: “Fanged Noumena: Collected Writings 1987–2007”, (Urbanomic / Sequence Press, published by MIT Press

 

PROGRAMME

Sat 30 May from 5 pm
Vernissage
Welcome speeches and introduction to the exhibition
The artist and curator will be in attendance
Open until 8 pm, free admission

Sun 7 Jun / Sun 21 Jun / Sun 29 Jun
3 pm on each day
Sunday tour with Joos Ziegler

Sun 26 Jul 2026 2 pm – 7 pm
The Grand Finissage
Open until 7 pm (free admission) with
3 – 4 pm
Guided tour
“Walk and Talk” – through the exhibition with curator Stephan Klee in German and English
5 – 6 pm
Exhibition discussion
With Roy Köhnke, Stephan Klee and a special guest
6 pm
Closure

 

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

 

 


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 information >> roykohnke.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 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.

 

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

 

 

Finissage – Mit Borrás

/in , /by

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 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.

 

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

/in , , /by

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 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.

 

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

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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 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.

 

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