Pierre Bismuth, Claus Föttinger, Julia Lazarus, Erik van Lieshout, Marina Naprushkina, Oliver Ressler, Anja Schrey, Jonas Staal, Joulia Strauss

Assembly RST

Peter Friedl, Dieter Froelich, Bhima Griem, Nadira Husain, Daniel Johnston, Shila Khatami, Anna Meyer, Peter Niemann, Dan Perjovschi, Elizabeth Peyton, Markus Schinwald, Stefanie von Schroeter, Markus Uhr, Silke Wagner, Johannes Wohnseifer, Christine Würmell

Artists from The Hope Project, Moria

Raha Amiri, Attaullah, Javad Emami, Fereshteh, Nazgol Golmuradi, Sahar Haqpana, Sara Hossini, Mohammad Jafari, Sara Juddin, Joseph Kangi, Senait Lelisa, Masoumeh, Ommolbanin, Rehab, Murtaza Safari, Sima, Jean-Paul Waroma, Batol Yasim

Around the world, many existing democracies are in a crisis: freedoms and options for political participation are being restricted or their use is declining, while the influence of so-called global players on political decisions is growing. This guest-curated exhibition takes the vulnerability of the basic democratic order in current systems as a starting point. In various media—including painting, sound, video, and installations—it illuminates problem areas such as burgeoning right-wing populism around the world, the mediatisation of politics, and the tension between inclusion and exclusion in decision-making processes. It also reflects on new forms of political participation and the relationship between extra-parliamentary protest and official politics.

The artistic positions of the nine artists are complemented by paintings created in an open studio in the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos. In addition, the project is augmented by the Assembly RST, which is conceived as a brainstorming session that addresses various aspects of the exhibition in free association. The accompanying publication is being produced in cooperation with Florian Malzacher and will take the form of a newspaper, a medium that contributes to the democratic process of decision making.

Curated by Raimar Stange

Photo: Jens Ziehe, 2021