–> SEITE IN DEUTSCH

The city has always been a shared habitat in which humans and animals have coexisted. Cities do not only offer attractive conditions for people; animals, too, continually claim new urban habitats for themselves. With the thematic exhibition “urbs animalis – The City as a Habitat for Animals and Humans”, the Walkmühle Artists’ Association seeks not only to draw attention to the ambivalent position of animals in urban spaces, but also to explore the diverse interactions and interspecies relationships that arise from encounters between animals and humans.

Our image of the animal as something entirely different from ourselves is no longer tenable. Animals are not only far more intelligent than we once believed, but also more inventive, more empathetic, and even more versed in matters of aesthetics than previously assumed. They are so similar to us that the traditional distinctions and hierarchies have become questionable. The fact that we, as humans, also belong to this group—namely, the mammals—has led many animal rights advocates to prefer distinguishing between human and non-human animals rather than continuing to uphold the human–animal dualism. It appears that this shift in thinking is not merely the logical consequence of scientific discoveries in the field of contemporary animal research, but is instead nourished by many different sources.

Artists have always possessed the keenest sensitivity for perceiving such fundamental changes. They sense cracks in the foundations of social conventions long before they become visible and investigate them through their own artistic means.

The thematic group exhibition brings together twenty-four international contemporary artistic positions, featuring works from a wide range of artistic disciplines, including painting, photography, and sculpture, as well as performance, installation, and digital media. Selected by curators Christiane Erdmann and Verena Schmidt through both targeted curatorial research and an international open call, the exhibition presents a balanced combination of established artists and emerging talents.

The exhibition examines the common roles and expectations attributed to animals. The status of our animal counterparts fluctuates between friend and foe, useful creature and pest, but they also appear as anecdotal figures, sources of entertainment, objects of consumption, or figures of identification.



Participating artists:

DIANA BAGNOLI • FRITZ BORNSTÜCK • FRANK BRECHTER • MAGRIET VAN BREEFORT • CATHERINE CHALMERS • MARCUS COATES • TANJA FENDER • ZOHAR FRAIMAN • MYRIAM GROSS MALL • FRAUKE HÄNKE + CLAUS KIENLE • ELKE HÄRTEL • INK • SAJANA JOSHI • KRÕÕT JUURAK + ALEX BAILEY • FELIX KIESSLING • HARTMUT KIEWERT • MICHELLE LLOYD • CHARLOTTE LYBEER • KERSTIN MATIJASEVIC • ROBERT ROEST • CORINNA SCHNITT • VIOLETTA VOLLRATH • MARCEL WALLDORF • EIJI WATANABE




As with all our themed exhibitions, this exhibition is accompanied by a supporting program of lectures:
Please note: The accompanying programme will be held in German.


Wed, Sept. 2, 8:00 p.m.: “Adventure with a Roman Snail”
An evening with Matthias Schenk and Roman snails.
Our September Salon.
–> More Information (in German)

Wed, Oct. 7, 8:00 p.m.: “When Was the Last Time an Animal Looked at You While You Were Eating?”
Lecture by Onno Faller on the disappearance of animals from our plates.
Our October Salon.
–> More Information (in German)

Wed, Nov. 4, 8:00 p.m.: “A Dance Around Life and Death”
Lecture by Sarah Plattner on the life of bees and swarming as a fateful moment for a bee colony.
Our November Salon.
–> More Information (in German)

Wed, Nov. 15, 3:00–6:00 p.m.: “A Farewell to the Animals.”
Bring your pet along to the closing event (including a photo shoot!)
–> More Information (in German)





An event kindly supported by the Cultural Office of the State Capital Wiesbaden, the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain, and the Naspa Foundation. We also thank the companies Huhle Stahlbau and Oschatz Visuelle Medien an our media partner Sensor Wiesbaden.

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Exhibition opening hours:
Tue + Thu 10 am–3 p.m.,
Wed + Fri 5 pm–8 p.m.,
Sat 2 pm–7 p.m.,
Sun + public holidays 11 a.m.–7 p.m.


Admission:
Please make a donation of whatever you can afford into the donation box at the entrance



How to get there:

Künstlerverein Walkmühle
Walkmühle 3 (formerly Bornhofenweg 9) 65195 Wiesbaden

Please use public transport if possible when visiting (the ‘Walkmühle’ bus stop on route 3 is a three-minute walk from the Walkmühle) – alternatively, take a taxi, cycle or walk.
There is no access for private cars onto the Walkmühle premises. Parking spaces on the access roads are limited.
People with physical disabilities may park on the premises temporarily, subject to prior registration. Please send enquiries by email to mail@walkmuehle.net.


A catalogue accompanying the exhibition has been published


Download the invitation card (PDF)



Thanks:
We would like to extend our special thanks to all the artists participating in the exhibition and to the team at the Walkmühle Artists‘ Association.
We would like to thank the following galleries for their cooperation: Kate MacGarry, London; Russi Klenner, Berlin; Galerie Kornfeld, Berlin; Alexander Levy, Berlin; MaxWeberSixFriedrich, Munich; and Galerie Mieke Van Schaijk, ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
We would also like to thank Claudia Friedrichs and Mario Kirchbaum. We would like to thank the companies Huhle Stahlbau and Oschatz Visuelle Medien for their support. We would like to thank the Cultural Affairs Office of the State Capital of Wiesbaden, the Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and the Naspa Foundation for their financial support in organising the exhibition and publishing the catalogue.


Download our actual event program
(PDF in German only)




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