Das Nahe und das Ferne

Kathrin Ahlt, Nina Fischer & Maroan el Sani, Rémy Markowitsch, Sandra Vásquez de la Horra

October 09 to December 11, 2010

Curator: Zdenek Felix

The eighth exhibition at KAI 10 | ARTHENA FOUNDATION is devoted to five international artists. Kathrin Ahlt, Nina Fischer and Maroan el Sani, Remy Markowitsch, and Sandra Vasquez de la Horra. In their photography, videos, and drawings, these artists refer to a kind of reality that seems strange, mysterious, or surreal. The works on display are based on fragmented memories and material from the distant past, as well as on the study of other cultures and geographies, which serve as projection surfaces for desire and longing. In making use of particular urban sites and locations that are usually on the periphery of our perception, these works establish a sense of distant, magical reality. Personal experiences with each of the themes tend to play a secondary role. Instead, the concept is to appropriate ideas from literature, film, or scientific studies, as well as clichés from travel brochures, while at the same time the viewer is left to wonder if the images refer to a fictitious or factual reality. Ultimately, they also allude to how media manipulate reality by mediating it.

Supported by
Pro Helvetia, Schweizer Kulturstiftung