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Contemporary Art

Réprouvé

Réprouvé

Shingo Yoshida was at an amount of abandoned garbage in the vacant land at the end of the city of Calama in Chile. Stray dogs and gypsies have settled, the place is like a no man’s land where one can breathe an untouchable atmosphere. There is always a strong wind blowing on the flat ground. Yoshida made a wind instrument installation with abandoned bottles. This project was inspired by The seven colors of the actual "Wiphala" originating from the visible spectrum. The significance and meanings of each color are as follows: Red: The Earth and the Andean man Orange: Society and culture Yellow: Energy White: Time Green: Natural resources Blue: The heavens Violet: Andean government and self-determination The Wiphala (Quechua pronunciation: [wɪˈphɐlɐ]) is a square emblem, commonly used as a flag, representing some native peoples of the Andes that include today’s Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador and parts of Argentina, Chile and Colombia.

Duration : 7m
Maturity Level : all

Requiem

Requiem

Statement by artist Janet Laurence: “I believe we need to make our landscape sacred again; we need to re-enchant it. The bushfires have amplified the specificity of this landscape that we live within. We need to enter into it deeply through knowledge sharing between scientists, artists and Indigenous peoples. … Part of my vision is that the space will not be used as a neutral space but will be entered into as a sacred space that cultivates a renewed engagement with nature.” Courtesy Momentum Worldwide Berlin

Duration : 7m
Maturity Level : all

Terraforming

Terraforming

The video work “terraforming” by Michael Najjar focuses on the transformation of a natural environment through energy input. The underpinning idea is that of a three-phase system change. This begins with the stage of equilibrium where a system is in a certain balance and not changing at all. In the next stage, an evolving system enters a state of motion and changes where it moves away from equilibrium. The third and final stage is the phase of transformation in which the original system becomes something else. The key element in this transformation process is the sun. This process is called terraforming, whereby a hostile environment, i.e. a planet that is too cold, too hot, or has an unbreathable atmosphere, can be altered to make it suitable for human life. Such a process is not merely a futuristic scenario but represents exactly what is happening on Earth at this moment as the process of atmospheric change brought about by increasing CO2 emissions heats up our planet and speeds up the process of climate change.

Duration : 9m
Maturity Level : all

Coastal Variations

Coastal Variations

David Cass did specially created for #ArtSpeaksOut this video work. Around the world, sea levels are rising. By now, we are almost all aware of this phenomenon. This artwork focuses on the sea, and specifically, the impact of rising sea levels on coastlines around the world. Without doubt, all coastlines globally will be impacted by rising water as the climate crisis unfolds and ocean temperatures rise, but on a local level the variations in rates of rise from place to place are dramatic. My research over the last few years has led me to creatively interpret data from tide-gauges. These devices allow us to see exactly what is happening at a local level over expended periods (from thirty years, to well over a century). They chart the height of the sea in relation to land and overwhelmingly confirm a global upward trend.

Duration : 7m
Maturity Level : all

Umwelt

Umwelt

"Umwelt" means "environment" or "surroundings" in German. Japanese artist Yoshiyuki Katayama used time-lapse techniques to film the gradual evolution of plants, which he then composited with slow-motion insect imagery. Fascinated with the relationship between flowers and insects, Katayama enjoyed exploring the juxtaposition of both movements within the same frame.

Duration : 1m
Maturity Level : all

Dollar-Tree

Dollar-Tree

With Dollar Tree, Isabelle Hayeur shows her reflection on the themes of consumption, pollution and poverty. This video was filmed at a garbage dump on the San Carlos Indian Reservation in Arizona, one of the poorest Native American communities in the United States.

Duration : 5m
Maturity Level : all

DARK WATERS

DARK WATERS

Nina E. Schönefeld’s Dark Waters is set in the year 2029. All the oceans are so contaminated with plastic waste that they have become death zones. The only creatures still able to live there are poisonous jellyfish. The government is trying to keep this eco-disaster secret. The film narrates the risky quest for the truth by helicopter pilot Silver Ocean.

Duration : 15m
Maturity Level : all

H A Z E C I T Y

H A Z E C I T Y

The video work H A Z E C I T Y by Nina E. Schönefeld refers to the current discussion of climate change and what might happen in the coming years. The film raises the question: To what extent is it legitimate to use violence to force a necessary shift to prevent irreversible climate change? The philosopher Slovoj Zizek predicts that due to the shortness of time left, a radicalization of environmental activism is going to happen. Other references in the video include theories of Swedish environmental scientist Andreas Malm and environmental activist Greta Thunberg, both of whom point to the urgency of changing society by 2030. H A Z E C I T Y deals with the act of resistance in general and with the unbroken fighting spirit of political activists all over the world. The film points to historical sources for example to the German 68 movement and the American Weather Underground movement. The story of the video H A Z E C I T Y is set in the year 2027. A toxic fog often appears due to extreme pollution in cities. Fridays for Future and Extinction Rebellion are still fighting climate change. Progress has been made by corporations and politics, electric cars are mandatory, but they are basically small diversions to avoid having to make fundamental changes. Activists are increasingly frustrated that everything will stay the same.

Duration : 32m
Maturity Level : all

Simone Leigh in the U.S. Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale of Art

Simone Leigh in the U.S. Pavilion at the 59th Venice Biennale of Art

The sculptural work of the Golden-Lion-winning artist Simone Leigh explores ideas about history, race, gender, labor and monuments at the 59th Venice Biennale.

Duration : 3m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Elmgreen & Dragset

Studio Visit with Elmgreen & Dragset

Berlin-based artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset speak about their collaborative practice as well as their particular interest in the AIDS epidemic and its continued relevance today.

Duration : 4m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Otobong Nkanga

Studio Visit with Otobong Nkanga

During her residency at Gropius Bau in Berlin, Otobong Nkanga reflects on the relationship between body and landscape, as well as on what matters the most in her art practice.

Duration : 4m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Tomás Saraceno

Studio Visit with Tomás Saraceno

Tomás Saraceno’s studio in Berlin contains a floor devoted to his spiders, who inspire his acoustic art installations and form the basis of his ’Arachnophilia’ project.

Duration : 0s
Maturity Level : all

Julius von Bismarck Conceived Connections

Julius von Bismarck Conceived Connections

During his practical research in Locarno, Switzerland, Julius von Bismarck reflects on nature and natural settings as the ideal site for artistic and scientific reflection.

Duration : 3m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir

Studio Visit with Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir

Hulda Rós Gudnadóttir speaks about her art practice and the creation of ‘Keep Frozen: The Documentary’ which chronicles the lives of dockworkers in a Reykjavik harbor.

Duration : 3m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Olaf Breuning

Studio Visit with Olaf Breuning

Functioning as both an archive of past work and a place for new creative explorations, Olaf Breuning’s Upstate New York studio provides a haven for contemplation.

Duration : 2m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Katarina Janeckova Walshe

Studio Visit with Katarina Janeckova Walshe

Katarina Janeckova Walshe transforms personal issues and doubts into art. In her South Texas studio, she reveals her creative process and how it connects to life and motherhood.

Duration : 3m
Maturity Level : all

SNOW FOX

SNOW FOX

Nine E. Schönefeld’s Snow Fox exploration is likewise a science fiction film set in the near future (2023): the eponymous heroine Snow Fox works for the leading startup company Black Cloud that manipulates the weather, resulting in the spread of brain disease. Snow Fox meets a group of women fighting for the last “natural” place on Earth. They have decided to compete against the company Black Cloud, even though they know that they don’t stand a chance against a company that manipulates everyone’s lives.

Duration : 10m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Roey Victoria Heifetz

Studio Visit with Roey Victoria Heifetz

Roey Victoria Heifetz shows her studio while discussing her artistic process and a new body of work produced for the exhibition ’Figuratively Speaking’ at Tacheles in Berlin.

Duration : 2m
Maturity Level : all

Peaches: ‘Whose Jizz Is This?’ at Kunstverein Hamburg

Peaches: ‘Whose Jizz Is This?’ at Kunstverein Hamburg

In celebration of Peaches’ 20-year stage anniversary, the Kunstverein in Hamburg and the Summer Festival at Kampnagel presented the artist’s first institutional solo exhibition.

Duration : 5m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Douglas Gordon

Studio Visit with Douglas Gordon

With Douglas Gordon, nothing is wasted or without purpose: a collection of seven footballs and an assortment of weaponry all have a place in his studio and art practice.

Duration : 3m
Maturity Level : all

Studio Visit with Ed Atkins

Studio Visit with Ed Atkins

On the occasion of his exhibition ’Old Food’ at Berlin’s Gropius Bau, Ed Atkins speaks about his creative process and walks the viewer through the art pieces in the show.

Duration : 2m
Maturity Level : all

In Residence: James Ostrer’s ’Post Apoca-Lips’

In Residence: James Ostrer’s ’Post Apoca-Lips’

James Ostrer’s art analyses sexuality and the body in socio-political contexts. During his studio residency at Melior Place, he speaks about his exhibition ’Post Apoca-Lips.’

Duration : 4m
Maturity Level : all

L.E.O.P.A.R.T.

L.E.O.P.A.R.T.

L.E.O.P.A.R.T. is set in the year 2032. Due to radiation everything that grows above ground is no longer edible. There are only a few animals left. Nevertheless, nature looks beautiful and natural. The company Black Flower is the world’s only supplier of seeds, controlling 99,9 % of the global food market. Thousands of death cases are associated with genetically modified Black Flower food. The CEO of the company Dr. Seth Mono is the father of the heroine L.E.O. She is fighting against Black Flower and she has chosen to live in a camp with people growing their own edible vegetables. They have given up their normal lives to fight for their independence from Black Flower. Every day they fear persecution and exposure.

Duration : 17m
Maturity Level : all

Erlik

Erlik

The rapid expansion of cities has caused animals to retreat from their original habitat and leave it forever. By Amir Golshani

Duration : 8m
Maturity Level : all