The works in the group exhibition Das Unerwartete erwarten (Expecting the Unexpected) testify to the sculptors; desire to experiment, their delight in danger. These works are unstable in character, hover between disintegration and stasis. And even if an unexpected destruction does not necessarily happen, it is an inherent threat, that is to say, it is immanent in the work. Halted movements, vanishing materials, or surfaces that are taut to the point of bursting give rise to a particular kind of tension. One could speak of suspense in sculpture. Suspense is a term from cinematography. It derives from the Latin suspendere, to hang, and means something like hovering in uncertainty as regards a feared or hoped for event. And it is precisely here that the above-mentioned works start to oscillate; here is the basis of one of their fascinating aspects: tension arises due to a particular situation, an event threatening to come about. We are gripped by the prospect of an event that does not necessarily happen, but could. We recipients see this something lurking right in front of us. Enlightened and prepared, we recognise what has happened, could happen or will happen. Suspense is the result of questions regarding how a story is to proceed being left unanswered. Something is announced, yet is held in abeyance. A game begins with expectations, with curiosity, and with the hope for a redemptive bang.

Curated by Stefanie Böttcher

PROGRAM

11 April 2012, 7 pm Spannende Kunst, Lecture by Ludwig Seyfarth, Kunstkritiker

26 April 2012, 7 pm No ART around, dilettantin produktionsbüro

10 May 2012, 7 pm Von (falschen) Versprechungen und (Er-)Lösungen: Überlegungen zur Spannung im Film, Lecture by Dr. Eckhard Pabst, Institut für Neuere Deutsche Literatur & Medien, Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel

Guided tours:
8 March 2012, 7pm
22 March 2012, 7 pm

Share With kind support of