A collection of fifteen clamps, lying on the floor in a triangle formation, that are holding various types of plant stems and leaves upright. Eine Sammlung von fünfzehn Klemmen, die in einer Dreiecksformation auf dem Boden liegen und verschiedene Arten von Pflanzenstängeln und -blättern aufrecht halten.

Unruly Splendour

Exploring Bodies through the Spectrum of Nature 

7 June – 9 October 2024 
Galerie im Körnerpark 

A N D R E A  A C O S T A
A N A J A R A  L A I S A  A M A R A N T E
A N N E  D U K  H E E  J O R D A N
N I K A  R A D I Ć
M A R I E  S A L C E D O  H O R N
K Y O C O  T A N I Y A M A
S O P H I E  U T I K A L
R A  W A L D E N

Neo-Baroque gardens such as the Körnerpark were intended to illustrate the dominance of man (or order) over nature (or chaos). If the garden is meant to symbolize the triumph of man over nature, what happens when asymmetry, chaos, deviation, or in other words, nature, gains the upper hand? Much of what is understood by aesthetics and design today can be traced back to these baroque ideas: that symmetry, standardization and normality are synonymous with aesthetic beauty. What if we were to look for beauty in chaos, disorder and otherness? What if we let nature and all its deviations take precedence and enjoy the pleasure of difference? 

We present eight Berlin based artists making artwork about the body and its relationship to the natural world, gardens, plants and ecological systems. What are their visions of the future, their potential utopias that defy the norm? How might a paradigm shift in our understanding of nature repair our relationship with the natural world? The selected artists explore the theme of difference as beauty in different ways. Some explore the misbehaving body, the deviant (female) body, while others explore the environmental context in which we live: nature and its cycles, the rhythms of reproduction as a force that resists capitalist structures that harm the human body. 

Curated by Kate Brehme and Kirstin Broussard of Berlinklusion.

PROGRAM

Friday, June 7, 6 pm
Exhibition Opening

WELCOME
Karin Korte, City Councillor for Education, Culture and Sports
Yolanda Kaddu-Mulindwa, Director of the Municipal Galleries Neukölln

INTRODUCTION WITH DGS-TRANSLATION
Dr. Kate Brehme, curator
Kirstin Broussard, curator

Exhibition Tour
Monday, June 24, 6 pm
With the curators and the artists Andrea Acosta, Marie Salcedo Horn and Kyoco Taniyama.

Performative Walk by Nika Radić
Wednesday, July 31st, 6-7 pm
Starting anf finishing point: Galerie in Körnerpark

The artist Nika Radić will begin the tour with her work Bauerngarten and will lead a performative walk through Körnerpark and the nearby Thomashöhe, telling stories about plants, gardens, parks and the people who live and settle there. Participants are invited to consider for themselves where gardens end, what we determine and whether this will change in the future.

This is an easy walk of 45 minutes to an hour, suitable for wheelchair users with opportunities to sit during the tour.


Drop-in Workshop for Families
Saturday, September 21st, 2–5 pm
Join curator and arts educator Kirstin Broussard in a workshop for parents and children of all ages to
explore the themes of the exhibition through creative activities.

FINISSAGE with cocktails and cake
Wednesday, October 9th, 5–8 pm
with DGS translation provided

ACCESS

GALERIE IM KÖRNERPARK
Schierker Straße 8
12051 Berlin

Daily 10 am — 8 pm
Free admission

Public Transport Connections:
U7 Neukölln
S 41, S 42, S 45, S 46, S 47 Neukölln

There is Step-free access to the gallery via Wittmannsdorfer Str. There is a café and a disabled accessible toilet next to the gallery. Seating is provided in the gallery.

Accessibility by WAH