stay. strong. resilient.
Kunsthaus Hamburg, 22 January – 27 February 2022 / curated by Ann-Kathrin Hubrich and Ina Jessen
Jared Bartz, Wolfgang Block, Kerstin Bruchhäuser, Anne Dingkuhn, Simone Fezer, Satenik Ghulijanyan, Sakir Gökcebag, Gerten Goldbeck, Anna Goldmund, Farideh Jamshidi, Susanne Mewing, Penny Monogiou & Lucas Betz, Jens Rausch, Jana Schumacher, Annett Stenzel, Ellen Sturm-Loeding, Katja Windau
The annual exhibition of the Professional Association of Visual Artists, Stay. Strong. Resilient., boldly and confidently explores the phenomenon of resilience, its origins, its effects and its potential. The term is a buzzword that encompasses various dimensions of human resilience and adaptability to external stimuli and influencing factors. We must ask ourselves how people deal with crises. We must understand how individuals navigate crises within the social context. Which local or global forces determine this? The global pandemic has brought to the fore the stark inequalities and the challenges they present at the social and geopolitical levels. From unequal access to healthcare to gender-specific disadvantages and physical and mental insecurity, the crisis has laid bare the shortcomings of our systems. The artistic works in this exhibition explore the nuances of vulnerability, the limitations of the human body and mind, and the intricate dynamics of social and ecological power structures. They ask: can resilience bridge the gap between the haves and the have-nots? Or does it merely perpetuate the status quo? And is resilience a symptom or a cure?