Julika Rudelius. The Emperor’s New Mall

In her films, photographs and performances, Julika Rudelius (*1968 in Cologne, lives in the Netherlands/Amsterdam) is driven by curiosity about people, stereotypes and milieus that she does not (yet) know and that are usually very different from what she would have previously thought. The desire to immerse herself here and trace their contradictions, aesthetics and modes of operation characterizes her work both in terms of content and form. Her starting point is her fascination with and astonishment at what we humans come up with in order to fit into socially, politically or culturally shaped roles and clichés.

The Emperor's New Mall at the Weserburg focuses on perfected surfaces - on our outward appearance, our demeanor, our status symbols and the seduction they emanate, for the protagonists in the works as well as for the viewers in front of them. How much of this is of our own choosing and therefore truly individual? How much is predetermined by social norms, capitalist values and subconscious imprints? What is gesture, what is attitude? And what is their fascination?