Karen Koltermann
home
18.11.2011 – 22.01.2012

In the exhibition “home”, Karen Koltermann shows parts of her installation “The Crossing” from 2009, the video installation “Al Sahra, Desert in the Ocean” (2010) and the collage “Al Sahra, Desert on the Quay” (2004) as well as new pictures and videos.
The result is an overall installation specially designed for the spatial situation in the Kunsthalle Bremerhaven. “The Crossing” deals with the topic of boat refugees. The basis of the “Al Sahra” installations are film and photo recordings that the artist made on the freighter “Al Zahraa” at the end of 2003. The Iraqi RoRo ship had been moored in the port of Bremerhaven since 1990. Since the Al Zahraa was towed to Lithuania for scrapping in July 2011, the artist drove to Klaipeda and took photos and video recordings of the half-scrapped ship. The material created on site will be used to create current works that will be shown for the first time in the exhibition.

Parallel to the exhibition in the Kunsthalle, the Kunstverein will rent an empty shop in which students and other interested parties will have the opportunity to express their views on their city, on migration, on places, on their mood and on their lives. The Iraqi ship “Al Zahraa”, which is closely linked to Bremerhaven’s contemporary history, is a symbol of human fate: home, function, losing one’s job, isolation. In the first week, Karen Koltermann will develop a photographic/painting installation with students from the Geschwister Scholl School. Other interested parties are cordially invited to attend. The project work will take place from November 28th, 2011 to December 7th, 2011 in the rented shop. The artist can be found in the room every day from 12 noon until December 5th and looks forward to speaking to her directly. The shop will function as an exhibition space and meeting place. Various events and further development of the exhibition are planned. The actual design of the room will be developed on site together with the students and interested parties.

Curated by Anne Schmeckies.