Asylum

From August 27 to October 30, the Bielefelder Kunstverein is presenting the group exhibition Asylum with contributions by Halil Altındere, Vera Drebusch, Manaf Halbouni, Charles Heller & Lorenzo Pezzani (Forensic Oceanography), Thomas Kilpper, Marina Naprushkina (Refugees’ Library and Neue Nachbarschaft//Moabit), Kateřina Šedá, Mounira Al Solh, Anna Witt and Tobias Zielony. Furthermore, a public conference and an extensive education program accompanies the presentation.

Migration and displacement seem to mark our times like no other topic. The media frequently carry reports of a refugee and migration crisis. In all this, we are not dealing with a transitory event, as the permanent state of exception and the uncertain situation of refugees has meanwhile become the rule. Migration has become a seismograph for our times and defines our self-understanding in Europe.

The exhibition takes this social-political background and the perspective of contemporary art to engage with the cultural effects of migration, displacement and asylum. Artists have repeatedly employed their techniques to create their artistic projects out of the history of migrants, their social status, the individual memory of displacement and from experiences lying between trauma and hope. In contrast to other media, they show different images and forms of narratives, are interested in visions as yet unheard and in that way create a refuge for a multiplicity of voices and for reflection within art. To that extent, this exhibition at the Bielefelder Kunstverein invites discussion of artistic initiatives and concepts, which expresses art as a space of resistance and experience as well as offers a platform for the complex questions of escape, migration and integration.

Curator: Thomas Thiel

Symposium: New Neighborhoods. Forms of artistic agency in relation to migration
Saturday, September 24, 12–6pm
Against the background of refugee flows worldwide and the integration of new citizens, the symposium focuses on the possibilities and the potential of artistic activity. Contemporary artists and scholars will report on their experiences in between art, research and everyday life in talks, project presentations and readings. The symposium will present artistic initiatives and invite discussion on concepts articulating the social possibilities as well as the positive interaction of art and migration.

Due to limited access your reservation via email (kontakt [​at​] bielefelder-kunstverein.de) or fax (+49 521 178810) is requested by Monday, September 19. The attendance is free.

Publication
To mark the exhibition, a 40-pages brochure will be published (German/English).

Press
For press requests, please send us an email via kontakt [​at​] bielefelder-kunstverein.de or call us on T +49 521 17 88 06. High-resolution press images and programs can be downloaded from our website: www.bielefelder-kunstverein.de

Exhibition support
The exhibition is generously supported by the State of North Rhine-Westphalia’s Ministry of Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sports as well as the Stadtwerke Bielefeld Foundation