Exhibition »Desertification« with current and former fellows at Kunstverein Neuhausen

»Desertification« is an ecological term that describes the process of desert formation. Desertification, or land degradation, is sometimes caused by natural factors but is usually man-made – resulting from climate change, deforestation, overgrazing, poverty, political instability, war, unsustainable irrigation methods, or a combination of these factors. Along with rising sea levels, heat waves, and the increasing frequency of floods and storms, it represents one of the most significant changes on our planet. These changes are often accompanied by a global sociopolitical coarsening. However, these drastic impacts also offer an opportunity for collective rethinking and the emergence of something new. Deserts around the world, though diverse in nature, share several remarkable social characteristics: they are wastelands, habitats, and serve as site-specific foundations for simulating future planetary settlements. They are places of crisis, artistic subversion, and utopian societal projects. Thus, deserts are culturally vibrant places that know neither beginning nor end.

The exhibition project is based on the principle of dialogue and examines the phenomenon of »desertification« by incorporating ecological, economic, and social-psychological aspects.

With Jan Nicola Angermann (fellow 2022/2023), Maan Barua (fellow 2023/2024), Lukas Bauer, Beate Baumgärtner, Stella Covi, Kosmas Phan Dinh, Jan Forray, Moe Thet Han (fellow 2023/2024), Leila Hekmatnia (fellow 2023/2024), Barbara Karsch-Chaïeb, Andreas Mayer-Brennenstuhl, Sadya Mizan (fellow 2024), Ahmed Rasel, Benjamin Stäbler, Georg Winter (fellow 1998/1999), Tatyana Zambrano (fellow 2023).

Curated by: Gloria Aino Grzywatz (fellow 2021/2022)
and Jan Nicola Angermann (fellow 2022/2023)
Co-Curator: Sadya Mizan (fellow 2024)

A cooperation by Akademie Schloss Solitude and Kunstverein Neuhausen.

The exchange is extended and weaves an invisible network between Kunstverein Neuhausen, the project space kunst [ ] klima, the WUNDERKAMMER – NATURALIA/ARTIFICIALIA, and the Akademie Schloss Solitude.