Ausstellungeröffnung (Un)Sichtbarkeit von Gewalt in der KUNSTHALLE GIESSEN

In the organizer's words:

(In)Visibility of violence

With Mansoor Adayfi, Hiba Alansari, Moath Al-Alwi, Sami Al Haj, Lucinda Devlin, Johanna-Maria Fritz, Mohammed el Gharani, Roopa Gogineni, Johanna Herr, Jonas Höschl, Šejla Kamerić, Adnan Farhan Abdul Latif, Rabih Mroué, Kresiah Mukwazhi, Jean Gabriel Périot, Thomson & Craighead, Total Refusal, Helena Uambembe and Emmanuel Van der Auwera

Opening: August 22, 2025, 7 pm
Duration: 23.08. - 02.11.2025

Curated by Theresa Deichert, Dr. Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Dr. Nadia Ismail

In cooperation with Trace Research Center Transformations og Political Violence

War events, omnipresent in the media and seemingly endless, shape our viewing habits and dominate public perception. In addition to clearly visible violence, such as the brutal destruction of buildings and cultural assets, the sight of civilian victims or images of displaced persons and refugees, the exhibition also focuses on the often invisible facets of violence. Structural, psychological or gender-specific violence, especially against women and minorities, as well as the resulting trauma and mental suffering, often remain hidden. Ideological and religious hatred, which is passed down through generations and disproportionately affects women, is also often invisible or deliberately suppressed. Shame and social ostracism often protect the perpetrators, while the consequences for those affected are profound and long-term.

(In)Visibility of Violence aims to investigate these unequal power structures and visual regimes that underlie violence: What social, political and media mechanisms make violence visible or invisible? How is violence documented, instrumentalized or censored? What creative and artistic approaches can be used to make violence perceptible? How do artists use strategies such as alienation, censorship, documentation or spectacularization to depict or conceal violence?

The exhibition is a cooperation with the research center "Transformations of Political Violence" (TraCe), which began with the dialogue panel "Depictions of Excessive Violence - Between Disturbance and Attraction" at the Kunsthalle. A journal will be published to accompany the exhibition, which will be realized jointly by the KUNSTHALLE GIESSEN and researchers from the TraCe Research Center.