From Where I Stand
Photographic explorations in times of urgent change
19 March – 22 May 2022
https://biennalefotografie.de/en
Take the virtual tour of the exhibition:
https://clients.documentartspace.de/baf_2022/index.htm
From Where I Stand explores how a more sustainable, inclusive and empowered future might be achieved from various perspectives. The 21st century way of living is severely influenced by the complex interdependency of people, the environment and technological processes. Technology allows us to enhance our bodies, to have immediate access to information and only communicate with like-minded people, and to use the earth’s resources for our own needs. Despite these advantages, these developments also lead to a many of disadvantages: Algorithms and filter bubbles influence our beliefs and actions. Not all people have equal access to resources; nature suffers from overexploitation.
From Where I Stand focuses on photographic practices at the crossroads of contemporary art, journalism and activism. For these artists, the photograph is a tool for visual research, which they have used to create multilayered narratives built on their thorough investigations and sensorial experiences of making the work. In doing so, they are aware of their own point of view and place those alongside the people who they have intensively collaborated with and who acted as the embodied experts of the subject matter at stake.
The Biennale provides a space for reflection and for the activation of our minds to think and see differently. And to act accordingly. From Where I Stand offers a platform for a stimulating and diverse range of global and local stories and events with which our daily lives and decisions are closely intertwined. The works presented can potentially accelerate the much-needed transition towards a greater balance between people, nature and technology.
Curated by Iris Sikking
Contested Landscapes @Kunsthalle Mannheim
With works by: Aàdesokan, Lisa Barnard, Awoiska van der Molen, Rune Peitersen, Yan Wang Preston, Małgorzata Stankiewicz, Katja Stuke & Oliver Sieber, Misha Vallejo Prut
Contested Landscapes addresses the ecological challenges the world is facing today. For centuries, capitalist economies and imperialist forces have heavily taxed and manufactured the earth for their own benefit. Nature is seen as a resource for economic growth: its economic value carries more weight than its ecological value. How can we rebalance the relationship between humans and the environment so that future generations can benefit from sustainable alternatives?
The selected artists take us to landscapes, from South America to the Baltic Sea, to show the effects of mineral extraction, waste management and marine pollution. Instead of observing topographical transformations at a distance, they include local sources and histories to demonstrate the social and political forces at stake.
To photograph a landscape is also to preserve an image of it and to make it part of a desired cultural identity. However, what rights do we have to use planet Earth and only assign our values to it?
Artists participating in the Biennale: Aàdesokan, Mónica Alcázar-Duarte, Heba Y. Amin, Archive of Public Protests, Lisa Barnard, Poulomi Basu, Alexandra Baumgartner, Eline Benjaminsen, Silvy Crespo, Alexandra Davenport, Anna Ehrenstein, Matthieu Gafsou, Michał Iwanowski, Antoinette de Jong & Robert Knoth, Anouk Kruithof, Thomas Kuijpers, Yufan Lu, Giya Makondo-Wills, Douglas Mandry, Mashid Mohadjerin, Awoiska van der Molen, Nepal Picture Library, Kelebogile Ntladi, Paulien Oltheten, Gloria Oyarzabal, Rune Peitersen, Yan Wang Preston, Felipe Romero Beltrán, Rohit Saha, Sara, Peter & Tobias, Małgorzata Stankiewicz, Katja Stuke & Oliver Sieber, Maria Sturm, Misha Vallejo Prut, Salvatore Vitale
