9 May–14 June 2009
Opening:
8 May 2009
Artists
Eija-Liisa Ahtila, Catherine Bell, Marcus Coates, Kathy High, John Isaacs, Vitaly Komar und Alexander Melamid, Angela Köntje und Peter Frey, Daniel Lee, Jo Longhurst, Reiner Maria Matysik, Aurelia Mihai, Patricia Piccinini, Iris Schieferstein, Deborah Sengl, Jana Sterbak
Project group
Heike Fuhlbrügge, Séverine Marguin, Kassandra Nakas, Jessica Ullrich, Antonia Ulrich, Friedrich Weltzien
In cooperation with the exhibition Tierperspektiven at the Georg-Kolbe-Museum and the Projektraum Souterrain
The exhibition Becoming-Animal, Becoming-Human is concerned with the processes of dissolution and becoming of animal and human identities and thus also with new ways of looking at both animals and humans. It takes the idea of becoming-animal formulated by Deleuze and Guattari in “A Thousand Plateaus” as a starting point, which the curators however then expand and reinterpret.
The artistic positions in the exhibition span a range of media covering sculpture and drawings, photography and video installations as well as assemblage and performance.
On the one hand the exhibition brings the ideas expressed by Deleuze and Guattari to fruition of a quite particular kind when it attempts to answer the question, What does becoming animal look like? by presenting artworks to exemplify this. On the other, it also includes a second focus, presenting works addressing a certain “becoming-human” on the part of animals and attributing quasi-human qualities to animals in order to question whether these qualities are in fact exclusively human.
In one example, an evolutionary process from fish, reptile and ape to a human being is shown in fast-motion, in order to demonstrate that the boundaries between these living beings are fluid (Daniel Lee); another allows one to experience the transformation from predator to prey within an animal body (Deborah Sengl); yet another presents transgenic beings who have left unknown processes of becoming behind them (Kathy High). Stalled processes of becoming and transformation are also to be found in the work of Patricia Piccinini.
By contrast, Jana Sterbak and Jo Longhurst allow us to slip into a dog’s pelt and thus to see through its eyes. Aurelia Mihai shows us a shamanistic bear-transformation of young people as a traditional way of temporarily trying out animal identities. Eija-Liisa Ahtila and Marcus Coates imitate the body language respectively the acoustic forms of expression of animals; Catherine Bell exchanges bodily fluids with animals.
These positions ask, Where does the animal body end and where does the human body begin? – without presenting clear-cut answers.
26.4. - 21.6.2009, opening 26.4., 11.30 h: Becoming-Animal Becoming-Human in cooperation with the exhibition Tierperspektiven at the Georg-Kolbe-Museum (GKM)
29.5. - 28.6.2009, opening 29.5, 19 h: Part 2 of Tierperspektiven can be seen at Projektraum Souterrain (Sammlung Hoffmann)
20.-28. 5.: Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art, will be showing a thematic film programme
A catalogue will be published to accompany the exhibition, including translations of two key texts on the exhibition’s theme: Donna Haraway’s When Species Meet and Steve Baker’s What does becoming-animal look like?
Rahmenprogramm:
Symposium
9. Mai, 14 - 19 Uhr: Animalische Identitäten
NGBK, Oranienstrasse 25, 10999 Berlin, 1. OG Veranstaltungsraum
14 Uhr: Tier-Werden
Fahim Amir, Wien: Donna Haraways politische Menagerie
Ramón Reichert, Wien/Linz: Tier-Werden
Massimo Perinelli, Köln: Heterotopische Gefüge - Tierische Liebe im Film Max, mon amour
Moderation: Antonia Ulrich
15.45 Uhr: Artist Talk „Becoming Animal“ (in englischer Sprache)
Jo Longhurst, London: What a dog might tell us: on looking and being looked at
Kathy High, New York: Embracing Animal
Catherine Bell, Melbourne: Performing Animality: Swimming with eels and squid ink erasureSS
Marc Wilson und Bryndis Snaebjörnsdottir, London: Uncertainty in the City
Moderation: Jessica Ullrich
18 Uhr: Becoming Human
Vitaly Komar, New York: Ecollaboration with Animals
18:30 Uhr: Abschlussdiskussion
Moderation: Friedrich Weltzien
10. Mai, 14 - 19 Uhr: Das Tier im Blick
Georg-Kolbe-Museum, Sensburger Allee 25, 14055 Berlin
14 Uhr: Tiere in der Bildhauerei, Malerei und Musik
Ursel Berger, Berlin: Tierbildhauerei der ersten Hälfte des 20. Jahrhunderts
Julian Blunk, Berlin: Frosch und König, Kröte und Katharsis
Martin Ullrich, Berlin: Tierstimmen in zeitgenössischer Musik, Klangkunst und Bildender Kunst
Moderation: Friedrich Weltzien
15.45 Uhr: Artist Talk: Lebende und tote Tiere in der Bildhauerei
Anselmo Fox, Mendrisio/Tessin und Mirjam Goller, Berlin: Sog genannte Bildhauerei. Die Schneckenarbeiten von Anselmo Fox
Bärbel Rothhaar, Berlin: Superorganismus Bienenvolk - oder: How does it feel to be a bee?
Deborah Sengl, Wien: Ertarnungen
Moderation: Antonia Ulrich
17 – 17:30 Uhr: Pause mit Video Screening: Noëlle Pujol, Le préparateur
17:30 Uhr: Artist Talk: Animalische Zukunftsperspektiven
Varsity of Maneuvers, Berlin: Way of the goat
Reiner Maria Matysik, Berlin: create hopeful monsters
18.30 Uhr: Abschlussdiskussion
Moderation: Jessica Ullrich
Videoscreenings
10. Juni, 18-20 Uhr
Georg-Kolbe-Museum, “Tier-Perspektiven”
KünstlerInnen: Volker Eichelmann, Jeanette Fabis, Hugo Fortes, Hayden Fowler, Lane Hall und Lisa Moline, Noëlle Pujol, Katharina Meldner, Aurelia Mihai, Nobuhira Narumi, Anri Sala, Julia Schlosser, Katerina Zavodova, Francis Alys, John Bock, Mircea Cantor, Tracey Emin
14. Juni, 18-20 Uhr
NGBK, “Tier-Werden, Mensch-Werden”
Edwina Ashton, Chloe Brown, Anselmo Fox, Lane Hall und Lisa Moline, Kathy High, Oleg Kulik, Cyrill Lachauer, Roz Mortimer, Patricia Piccinini, Nadin Reschke, Bärbel Rothhaar, Nobuhira Narumi, Vladimir Salnikov, Nina Kotel, Rosemarie Trockel
* angefragt
Lesung
16. Mai, 21 Uhr
Zur Langen Buchnacht in der Oranienstraße findet eine Lesung von Robert Meller zum Ausstellungsthema statt.
Führung
6. Juni, 15 Uhr
Die Kurator_innen führen durch die Ausstellung in der NGBK.
Filmreihe
20. – 28. Mai: Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V.
Potsdamer Str. 2, 10785 Berlin, www.arsenal-berlin.de
20. Mai, 19 Uhr: Went To The Zoo The Other Day, Kanada 2009. Einführung: Friedrich Weltzien.
21. Mai, 19.15 Uhr: One Man Village, Libanon 2008. Einführung: Antonia Ulrich.
23. Mai, 21.30 Uhr: Back to God’s Country, Kanada 1919, mit Musikbegleitung.
27. Mai, 21 Uhr: The Muzzled Horse of an Engineer in Search of Mechanical Saddles, Philippinen 2008. Einführung: Malte Kleinwort.
28. Mai, 19 Uhr: Sweetgrass, USA 2009. Einführung: Jens Eder.
Supported by
Arts Council Collection
Australian Council for the arts This Project has been assisted by the Australian government through the Australian Council for the arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ästhetik e.V.
Southbank Centre, London
Québec Government Office
Media partner
Kunstmagazin Berlin