Schlaf der Vernunft

In the organizer's words:

The "Sleep of Reason" exhibition invites visitors to a crazy exploration of one of the oldest and most diverse themes in human history. "El sueño de la razon produce monstruos", says Goya: "The sleep of reason produces monsters."

Monsters - i.e. terrifying, spooky, ghostly, gruesome creatures - accompany the artistic journey through the inner and outer worlds of eight artists who explore this creepy phenomenon from subjective perspectives.

The term "monstrum" comes from Latin and originally meant "wonder" or "deformity". Historically, the monster was seen as an anomaly that both disrupts and fascinates the familiar. In cultural history, monsters are symbols of the unknown, the inexplicable and the frightening, but also of wonder at the diversity of life.

The participating artists approach the topic in extremely different ways - from figurative representations to abstract installations. They reflect not only on historical meanings, but also on current social issues surrounding identity, otherness and fear. The exhibition invites visitors to immerse themselves in a world full of wonders and curiosities, to discover the multi-layered fascination of strange creatures and wild worlds and to listen to the sounds from distant galaxies.

Artists

Claudia Arndt, Martin Bartels, Julienne Jattiot, Susann Pönisch, Nadine Respondek, Thomas Siemon, Steve Viezens, Magda Voerster