Sinta Werner
Sehnsucht nach dem Jetzt
Feb 24 – May 10, 2020
Schloss Biesdorf, Berlin, Germany
Opening: Feb 23, 2020 | 6 pm

With works by Atsushi Fukunaga, Renate Herter, Andreas Kempe, Ulrike Kötz, Bärbel Möllmann, Ulrike Möschel, Julia Murakami, Daniel Rode, Andreas Sachsenmaier, Thyra Schmidt, Joachim Seinfeld, Axel Töpfer/Jo Preußler, Rebecca Ann Tess, Klaus Walter, André Werner, Sinta Werner, and others

When exactly is NOW? When does the past become NOW? When does the future begin after NOW?

“Longing for the NOW” in Schloss Biesdorf is the first part of a three-part exhibition in Berlin, Dresden and Düsseldorf. The exhibition series revolves around the “longing for the NOW”, that elusive moment of the present. In order for the NOW to become (graspable), what lies before and what lies after must be considered. These three phases – past, present, future – are therefore the focal points of the exhibition, whereby each time is assigned a cultural and socio-political dimension.

The fleeting and fragile moment of NOW can best be captured in the moment of the creative process. Consequently, the Berlin prelude in Schloss Biesdorf deals with both the present and the moment of artistic creation. Seventeen artists are taking up this challenge in Schloss Biesdorf.

In his film loop Baumfall/Scioto River, for example, Andreas Kempe shows exactly the short but so strongly lingering moment when a tree falls onto a cycle path. The twittering of birds, the murmuring of the wind and the rustling of leaves are interrupted for only a few seconds by a loud crash and then continue as if nothing had happened. In her photo series “Alpha++ Models”, Rebecca Ann Tess juxtaposes the urban centers of the world and shows the sterile aesthetics of neoliberally shaped cities in which human bodies appear only as fragments and even nature itself is only fitted into geometric structures as a green wall or an accurately trimmed hedge. The individual that once existed in these places, the regional characteristic of the past disappears and the new, the seemingly smooth comes. In her photo collages, installations and sculptures Sinta Werner plays with reality and its image and reflects the NOW through illusory spaces and mirrors.

In Ulrike Möschel’s object, the momentary nature of the present is brought to bear at the moment of reflection through a reflective surface. For this she uses silver leaf, an old and traditional material for the production of mirrors. In Düsseldorf Möschel illustrates the past with additional green oxidized surfaces on her work.

As is usual for an exhibition in Schloss Biesdorf, works from the holdings of the Beeskow Art Archive are also represented in “Longing for the Now”. The works by Annette Peuker-Krisper, Jörg Jantke and Michael Morgner broaden the view of the theme to include positions from the perspective of artists who worked in the GDR.

The NOW,
as well as the longing for the same, we perceive as a sequence of moments that we divide into past, present and future. But what is present, the moment, the moment, the NOW? Is it even comprehensible? Or has it not already elapsed when we become aware of it? This question and how we deal with it seems to be immensely important for us humans. The longing for the NOW, as well as its failure, has been and is treated by the great religions as well as by philosophy. People have devised a number of strategies to live the moment, and only the moment, in self-forgetfulness. The (positive) moment should be enjoyed, the fading out of past and future should lead to the greatest happiness. But will we even get there? To the NOW?

Artistic creation, just like the NOW, is always risky. “Sehnsucht nach dem Jetzt” therefore presents both finished works and works created directly on site, such as installations or performances, in all locations in order to do justice to the uncertainty of the moment.

Publication
A newspaper will be published to accompany the exhibition, expanding the spectrum of the exhibition’s artistic-visual works to include the written word and creative “notes”.

Structured in the style of a classical daily newspaper in the categories politics, feuilleton, miscellaneous, advertisements etc., this “A newspaper for all days” gathers together artistic works as well as scientific contributions, poems, literary texts etc.

Curated by Andreas Sachsenmaier, Joachim Seinfeld, Bärbel Möllmann, Karin Scheel