„Schwitzkästen – Hopelessness and other constraints“
In physical terms, a *Schwitzkasten* (literally "sweat box") is a rectangular wooden box with an opening for the head, used to flush toxins from the body. However, this exhibition features no such wooden boxes; instead, the term serves as a metaphor for inescapable situations from which one must break free. The works of the exhibiting artists offer inspiration for exploring this theme.
The idea for the exhibition originated with a photograph showing a police officer placing a person in a *Schwitzkasten*—a police chokehold—from which the individual was unable to escape. Out of curiosity, this discovery sparked intensive research into the various meanings of the term. A wide range of aspects emerged, warranting closer examination. These included purely situational instances—such as chokeholds arising from personal experience or perception (violence, dominance, personal oppression)—as well as predicaments at the level of the rule of law or even on a global scale (military prisons, torture, ecological disasters) and issues related to municipal urban development. Purely visual aspects of the *Schwitzkasten* were also taken into account when curating the exhibition. Consequently, the show—curated by Jörg Daniel—presents not only installations, video art, object art, and performances but also drawings and traditional paintings. Themes range from well-known folktales (such as *Sleeping Beauty*) to dance and theater scenes depicting people physically intertwined or constrained by chokeholds. Participating artists are Kate Hers RHEE (Berlin, Detroit), Christian Loenhoff (Ratingen, Germany), Funda Özgunaydin (Berlin), Frank Klötgen (Munich), Kurt Fleckenstein (Mannheim), Hildegard Skowasch (Berlin), Margund Smolka (Berlin), Dominique Ghesquiere (Paris), Karin Kerkmann (Bochum, Germany), Ilona Ottenbreit (Berlin), and Eva AM Winnersbach (Berlin).
art-in.de, August 2015