Berlin, 9th-16th of May. Societies have undergone profound transformations since the 1960s, shaped by dynamics such as shifting economic structures, geopolitical tensions, environmental crises, technological advancements, and migration. These changes challenge the idea of a linear globalization, calling for a new understanding of social change, one that emerges from the spatiality of the social and acknowledges juxtaposed trends.
Against this backdrop, the “Spatial Conflicts” exhibition—organized within the framework of the Collaborative Research Center 1265 “Re-Figuration of Spaces”—brings together 14 artists from diverse disciplines, generations, and backgrounds. Their works examine spatial conflicts unfolding worldwide, including struggles over culture, war, migration, borders, and overpopulation; post-colonial tensions over land and language; inequalities, queerness, and environmental crises; the relationship between human and non-human actors; digitalization and the hybridity of space.
Through a variety of artistic perspectives and media, “Spatial Conflicts” invites visitors to reflect on how spatial tensions shape contemporary life. The exhibition serves as a bridge between art and research, fostering dialogue on the refiguration of spaces and offering new ways of thinking about space, conflict, and coexistence.
“By bringing together artistic and academic perspectives, ‘Spatial Conflicts’ creates a space where research meets creative expression, sparking new conversations about the spatiality of tensions that define our time.” – Janin Walter & Zoé Perko, co-organizers
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