"Schwitzkästen" (Headlocks): An unsettling exhibition at the Künstlerhaus, exploring dead-end situations and other forms of stress
"Schwitzkästen" is the title of the new exhibition, running from August 29 to October 4, 2015, at the Künstlerhaus Dortmund. Concurrently, works related to the exhibition are being shown at the "Offene Antworten" project space at Kaiserstraße 75. Admission is free.
A photograph of a police officer, putting a protester in a headlock, provided the inspiration for the exhibition, which was curated by artist Jörg Daniel. It visualizes hopeless situations in which people find themselves—whether through direct physical coercion or the pressure of social conventions.
The idea for the exhibition comes from a photo, showing a police officer putting a protester in a headlock, explains organizer Jörg Daniel, who conceived the show with the assistance of Barbara Koch and Marco Wittkowski.
Arguably the most dramatic piece is the installation "No Exit" by Mannheim-based artist Kurt Fleckenstein. A naked person is positioned in the narrow space between a pane of glass and the wall, where he must remain for over an hour. Bathed in the light of two spotlights, the individual is exposed to the viewer much like an animal.
The live presentation of "No Exit" takes place every Sunday. The "victims" behind the glass are all actors and life models, who have no realms about appearing naked, Kurt Fleckenstein reassures. He admits, that he was shocked by his own work, after seeing images from the rehearsal.
Torture is also the subject of Frank Klötgen’s work—specifically the locations, where even Western nations, such as the USA, employ this abhorrent interrogation technique. The Munich-based artist has recreated the Guantanamo detention camp, using copies of his own published books. Far more subtle are the predicaments depicted in the works of artists Karin Kerkmann, Ilona Ottenbreit, and Hildegard Skowasch. Kerkmann presents cinematic close-ups of sensory organs. These organs are housed within her monitors, confined like animals in cages. Regarding her video installation *Come To My Senses*, the artist says: "We live in times when the persecution and humiliation of people have once again reached a grim peak." Through her painting, Ottenbreit illustrates the struggle of people, trying to break free from one another...
Participating artists:
kate hers RHEE (Berlin, Detroit), Christian Loenhoff (Ratingen), Funda Özgünaydin (Berlin), Frank Klötgen (Munich), Kurt Fleckenstein (Mannheim), Hildegard Skowasch (Berlin), Margund Smolka (Berlin), Dominique Ghesquiere (Paris), Karin Kerkmann (Berlin, Bochum), Eva AM Winnersbach (Berlin)
Nordstadtblogger, August 2015