Contours of Grief

Opening of the exhibition

Introduction by the curatorial team: Dorothee Bienert, Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Nina Marlene Kraus and Beatris Wakaresko

Loss and mourning are inevitable and universal experiences that nevertheless each of us encounter unexpectedly sooner or later.

Grief is a nonlinear process in which ambivalent emotional states collide. We feel detached and cut off from the world, with pressure on our chest and emptiness in our heart. At the same time, painful memories keep catching up with us, piercing through the indifferent protective layer like hot needles.

The exhibition explores this tension and examines different emotional states of mourning through various artistic media.

At 7.30 pm the performance DIST__ANCE by Mazen Khaddaj will take place.

What happens if you suddenly wake up to a reality where every pillar of your life falls one after another just like domino stones? What happens if what was safe and constant, disappears?
DIST__ANCE is a live performance depicting a period where the artist lost everything, even himself. It is an attempt to pull back his shattered self and emotions.