Flughafen Tempelhof, Berlin, Hangar 2 + 3
In a time of global crisis and declining civil discourse, art can inspire people to engage with socio-political issues. Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the central themes of the exhibition have become more urgent than ever before: freedom and globalization, the importance and decline of democracy, solidarity and antagonism.
How do artists from different gen-erations and backgrounds respond to today‘s pressing issues, and to Europe‘s past and future? Their works are commentaries on the themes of power and equality, migration and territory, political and personal identity – and on the recurring question of Europe’s role in the world.
At its essence, art is unbounded and inspires us to reflect anew in a free exchange of ideas which transcend borders and differences. The artists demonstrate their ability to overcome borders not only intellectually, but also in a quite tangible form: in the selection of their education site, the nexuses of their lives, studio locations, their galleries, themes and influences. The artistic face of Europe is complex, diverse and permanently in flux – in common with the „European project“ itself.
Photo:
BORIS MIKHAILOV, Soviet Collective Portraits, 2011, Courtesy the artist and Suzanne Tarasieve Gallery, Paris, VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, 2021