Media art is here is free of charge and accessible to all, which promotes exchange and participation in contemporary media art. The project funding program of the city of Karlsruhe supports artists in the implementation and public presentation of their works, which strengthens the cultural diversity and inclusive character of the city as a UNESCO Creative City of Media Arts.
The exhibition sheds light on the potential and social significance of media art, with a focus on human-nature relationships, gender roles and ecological issues. For example, Desiree Kabis' "Ancient Connections" addresses queerness and nature relations through a sound artwork around a Colombian tree, while Anna-Lina Helsen's "Between Dreams and Reality" explores the influence of the Anthropocene and solarpunk.
Works such as "Whose Stories" by Vera Gärtner, Mio Kojima and Hanna Müller map Karlsruhe from a feminist perspective and address the gender imbalance in the city. "Radio Choreography#2: Acts of Transmission" by Mira Hirtz and Netta Weiser explores the interaction of dance and sound to make silenced stories audible.
In "sleeping trees", Alex Besta and Tibor Pilz project tree bark onto the city church and emphasize the connection between architecture and nature. The international project "Bee Boarding School" combines art, ecology and alternative forms of economy through workshops. The perspective of water is explored in "Tides of Memories" by Karolina Sobel and Helin Ulas, while "Fungal Frequencies" examines the signal processing of mycelium.
Jihye Jang's "Natural Flow" visualizes natural phenomena and reacts to the presence of the viewer. The "PhonoLuxMaschine" shows the beauty of the sea inspired by James Benning. "Particles Ensemble" by Overlapping Studio, winner of the dm Award, is presented on the façade of Karlsruhe Palace.
"Screentime" by Hendrik Vogel and Kilian Kretschmer focuses on self-reflection through digital media. "New Fossils 3.0" by Paris DÃaz and Gerardo Nolasco-Rózsás uses augmented reality to reflect on the ecological footprint of cities.
"Radio-Choreography#2" can be seen from June 20 at the Badischer Kunstverein and "Tides of Memories" from August 3 at the ZKM.
The exhibition is being realized by the Cultural Office of the City of Karlsruhe in cooperation with Karlsruhe Marketing und Event GmbH and the ZKM | Center for Art and Media.
