Hartware MedienKunstVerein presents three exhibitions at Dortmunder U
Suzanne Treister: Hexen 2.0
Francis Hunger: History Has Left The Building
Artur Żmijewski: Democracies
21 April–22 July 2012
Dortmunder U – Zentrum für Kunst und Kreativität
(Centre for Art and Creativity), 3rd floor
Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse
44137 Dortmund, Germany
info [at] hmkv.de
Hours: Tue – Wed 11–18
Thu–Fri 11–20, Sat–Sun 11–18
Hartware MedienKunstVerein (HMKV) shows three monographic exhibitions on the third floor of the Dortmunder U. Curated by Dr. Inke Arns.
Two of these exhibitions are concerned with similar issues: HEXEN 2.0 by the British artist Suzanne Treister and History has left the Building by the German artist Francis Hunger deal with the hopes and utopias or dystopias inspired by technological developments in the 20th century, while analysing their social impact and role as catalysts of social and economic processes in different political systems. Both artists use artistic narratives to undertake a media-archaeological investigation, telling stories from the age of information technology and presenting often unheard-of and unseen artefacts in the shape of complex drawings and diagrams (Treister) or installations, audio plays, videos, and performances (Hunger).
In the framework of the cultural exchange programme Klopsztanga. Polen grenzenlos NRW, the HMKV also presents Democracies, a work by the Polish artist Artur Żmijewski. In this 25-channel video installation, Żmijewski documents various expressions of opinion in public space. The images are left uncommented and shown next to each other without hierarchy or judgement. For the artist, these sometimes extreme and anachronistic rituals of democratic public expression represent the darker side of society, something that has to be tolerated and continually renegotiated in an attempt to reach a public consensus. Żmijewskiʼs videos show images of people gathering at manifestations, football games, burials, historic re-enactments and military parades. In the exhibition space, the live soundtracks of the various videos merge into a cacophonic soundscape. For the presentation at HMKV, the artist has edited further footage, thus creating the most extensive version so far of this work, for which he started filming in 2009. The exhibition runs parallel to the 7th Berlin Biennale, which is curated by Żmijewski.
During the exhibition, HMKV and the RWE Forum | U Cinema will show Between Us, a programme with Polish experimental and documentary short films curated by Katrin Mundt. The spectrum of the programme extends from experimental films of the neo-avant-garde of the 1970s to classics of video art of the 1980s and contemporary works.
On the occasion of Francis Hunger’s exhibition History has left the Building, a catalogue with numerous high-quality reproductions, an essay by Inke Arns, and work descriptions will be published by Spector Books Leipzig in June 2012.
Parallel to the exhibition, the HMKV will present a programme of artists’ talks, workshops, book launch, performances and film screenings within the exhibition.
For opening hours during bank holidays visit: www.dortmunder-u.de
Guided tours
Thursdays 18h (after-work tour), Sundays 16h, holidays 16h (guided tours are included in the admission).
Film screenings within the exhibition
Between Us
in the framework of Klopsztanga. Polen grenzenlos NRW
Friday, 11 May 2012, 19:30–22h and Friday, 25 May 2012, 19:30–22h
Curated by: Katrin Mundt
Between Us presents two evenings of artistsʼ films from Poland.
Dates of the film screenings in the programme frame of HEXEN 2.0—in cooperation with the association “Kino im U”:
Thursday, 3 May and Friday, 4 May 2012, 20h:
eXistenZ (CA/UK, 1999, 97 min., Director: David Cronenberg)
Thursday, 24 May, 20h and Sunday, 27 May 2012, 15h:
Pi (US, 1998, 84 min., Director: Darren Aronofsky)
Thursday, 14 May and Friday 15 May 2012, 20h:
Alphaville (FR, 1965, 99 min., R. Jean-Luc Godard)
Thursday, 21 June, 20h and Sunday, 24 June 2012, 15h:
A Journey into the Mind of P. (DE/CH, 2001, 90 min., Directors: Fosco & Donatello Dubini)
Film screenings venue
RWE Forum | U Cinema (ground floor)
Leonie-Reygers-Terrasse
44137 Dortmund
Events
Performance dates: Francis Hunger (The SETUN Conspiracy):
Saturday & Sunday 21–22 April, 12–13 May, 2–3 June, 23–24 June, 21–22 July:
11–18h, Dortmunder U (3rd floor)
Artist talk with Suzanne Treister
Thursday 21 June 2012, 18h, Dortmunder U (3rd floor)
Book launch with Francis Hunger
Friday 22 June 2012, 18h, Dortmunder U (3rd floor)
Further film screenings on the 3rd floor of the Dortmunder U will be announced soon.
Main funders of HMKV
Cultural Office of the City of Dortmund
Ministry for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sports of North Rhine-Westphalia
Sparkasse Dortmund
DSW21
The exhibitions are supported by
The exhibition Artur Żmijewski: Democracies and the film programme Between Us take place in the framework of: Klopsztanga. Polen grenzenlos NRW
Funded by NRW Kultursekretariat Wuppertal, Polnisches Institut Düsseldorf
Exhibition partner: Medion
The exhibition Suzanne Treister: HEXEN 2.0 is generously supported by: British Council
The production of Suzanne Treister’s HEXEN 2.0 has been supported by: Arts Council England
The production of Francis Hunger’s radio play The Woman who never flew into Space has been supported by: Film-und Medienstiftung NRW
Media partners 2012: ARTE Creative & De:Bug
Press Contact
presse@hmkv.de
Image above:
Official design, “HEXEN 2.0 and HISTORY HAS LEFT THE BUILDING” by www.laborb.de.
Copyright HMKV.
