Art Blogazine: Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai 10.09.2023

Thursday, 14 September 2023

Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai 10.09.2023 - 07.01.2024

Darmstadt, 13.09.2023: Since Sunday, 10.09.2023, the Kunsthalle Darmstadt is presenting the exhibition Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai. Until 07.01.2024, the relationship between humans and animals is the focus of a presentation in which are participating 35 artists from North and South America, India, Pakistan and Europe.

Symbols of Migrations Installation by Smita Kinkale

While the devastating exploitation of Planet Earth seems to be proceeding inexorably, many species of animals are threatened with extinction and entire ecosystems are disappearing, animals are more visible than ever in contemporary art. What is the basis for this newly-awakened study of animals? How is it different than earlier manifestations? Raising questions of this sort, Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai investigates our relationship to animals in all its contradictions and asks what role art plays therein.

Recent painting by Ratnadeep Gopal Adivrekar
Ratnadeep Adivrekar’s works deals with ancient Indian philosophical belief that a part of the whole ‘Brahmanasi’ resides in all living things, which forms the ‘atman’ hence many animals are venerated and dense with symbolism

Offering a broad, geographically wide-ranging selection of artistic positions, the exhibition shows how diverse the approaches to this theme can be. An examination of the field during our preparations for this exhibition showed that certain approaches and preferences repeat themselves among the artists. The course through the exhibition was divided into four chapters in accordance with several clearly recognizable, major orientations in art involving animals; the sections appear in succession and conform to a dramaturgy of sorts. After the focus of the initial topic Open Drawers is on taxonomical classification such as is outstripped by fantasy (Horst Haack) or pursued to the point of mockery (Mark Dion), voices are raised under Profit, Profit, Profit in protest against the subjection of animals in adherence to the laws of the market economy. Following after this critical realism is the optimistic pragmatism of those who, in an exemplary manner, engage in Overcoming Borders Between Species. The final chapter is entitled Living Images and offers philosophical fare: dream, consciousness, artificial intelligence, mimesis, language.

Artists and Collectives in the Exibition

Ratnadeep Gopal Adivrekar (India) Mia Bencun (Nigeria, Germany) Rolf Bier (Germany) Ali Cherri (Lebanon, France) Mark Dion (USA) Katja Eckert (Germany) Franca Franz (Germany) Gerrit Frohne-Brinkmann (Germany) Andreas Greiner (Germany) Horst Haack (Germany, France) Thomas Hawranke & Lasse Scherffig (Germany) Hörner & Antlfinger, CMUK (Germany) Katharina Immekus (Germany) Sanna Kannisto (Finland) Smita N. Kinkale (India) Lisa Korpos (USA) Basir Mahmood (Pakistan, The Netherlands) NEOZOON (Germany, France) Olly Williams & Suzi Winstanley (United Kingdom) Michael Pendry (Germany, United Kingdom) Arnulf Rainer (Austria) Stephan Reusse (Germany) Harold Rubio (Puerto Rico) Muzzumil Ruheel (Pakistan) Thomas Sturm (Austria,Germany) Miriam Tag (Germany) Diana Thater (USA) Federico Uribe (Columbia, USA) Rajesh P. Wankhade (India)

With support from Kulturfonds Rhein-Main Sparkasse Darmstadt Sparkasse Hessen-Thüringen Entega Stiftung Collaborative Partners HIMS Academy Zoo Vivarium Darmstadt Alte Fasanerie Hanau Darmstädter Textwerkstatt Ehrenamt für Darmstadt Schuldruckzentrum Darmstadt

Media Partner arte

The exhibition Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai at a glance.

Responsible for the contents, planning and realization of the exhibition: Dr. León Krempel, Director of the Kunsthalle Darmstadt, curator in collaboration with Ismail Mukadam, Kurator, HIMS Academy Title and Duration: Animalia. Forays from Los Angeles to Mumbai 10.09.2023 - 07.01.2024

Press Photos Press photos for your reporting on exhibitions at the Kunsthalle Darmstadt are available at our website: https://www.kunsthalle-darmstadt.de/Aktuell_31_0.html