BARBARA DÉVÉNY

#SolidarityConfused

BARBARA DÉVÉNY

#SolidarityConfused

Barbara Dévény addresses In her project a controversial and topical issue: the paradoxical alliances that arise in digital and political spaces between queer identities and authoritarian or religious-fundamentalist ideologies. Texts, memes, screenshots, and comments from social media posts that reveal these contradictory attitudes are documented, printed on fabric, sorted into thematic clusters, and transformed into a wearable collection. Barbara Dévény understands it this way: “The garments serve as textile storage, as mobile archives of an unsettled present. The texts to be printed are supplemented by theoretical references to queerness, authoritarianism, and religious fanaticism. The result is an artistic reflection on the simultaneity of progressive identity politics and regressive worldviews.”

Barbara Dévény has invited Bremen-based artist Roshan Margraf to two workshops to conduct artistic research and work together.

Come along, it's sure to be exciting!
If you have any questions about the workshops, please send an email to: semmise(at)googlemail.com

Wednesday, November 12

Workshop, 6 pm – 10 pm

Re:Table – where are we now – where do we want to go?

How do we deal with the flood of information that overwhelms us every day? How can we recognize manipulation—and do we even recognize it at all? Why does the search for quick solutions so often lead to old patterns, to enemy stereotypes, to anti-Semitism? And how can the fight against racism and anti-Semitism, against patriarchal and religious oppression, be approached from a feminist perspective—instead of mutually excluding each other?

Bring texts, images, stories, or found objects that concern you—things you want to counteract. Or just come by empty-handed. Over a glass of wine and something to eat, we want to sort things out together, think outside the box, ask questions, find and create new images. Without claiming to have all the answers, but with an urgent need to work artistically and see things differently.

Saturday, November 15

2 pm – 6 pm

Re:Sort – Thinking Through Confusion

Workshop for children, teens, and adults

After it seemed in recent years that our society was moving in a more open and just direction, we are currently experiencing a backlash: tradwives, manosphere, a feminism that only applies to some – simple solutions and quick blame are gaining influence again. Manipulation and social media reinforce these tendencies. Everything is becoming louder, faster, and more confusing, especially for children and young people... That's why we invite you to rearrange things in the workshop Re:Sort – thinking outside the box. Based on experiences (either personal or observed) with bullying, discrimination, or exclusion at school, work, etc., we will develop our own artistic responses—in the form of pictures, collages, videos, prints, or clothing. The focus is on the idea of countering the bad with something positive: courage, creativity, humor, and community, turning things around and inventing something new. Bring whatever you want or leave it at home.

Saturday, November 22

3 pm to 10 pm

Final presentation

Open studio, performative presentation & collective exhalation

To conclude #SolidarityConfused, we invite you to see, hear, and wear what has been created over the past two weeks. The attitude garments we have created can be tried on and combined—textile commentaries on contradiction, solidarity, and the attempt to remain clear in the midst of confusion. And if it all becomes too much: a punching bag is available—to let off steam, against powerlessness, for movement. Perhaps there will be surprise guests, perhaps there will be a performance and videos to watch, but one thing is certain: there will be something to see! Conversations, connections, and ideas will emerge, and between anger and humor, thinking will continue.

WORKING GROUP ON ENDINGS

Recapitulating the End: How to end collectives well?