MUTATIONS

The exhibition MUTATIONS is the culmination of the nine-month interdisciplinary residency program of the same name at Akademie Schloss Solitude. The show presents the collective knowledge that the seven international artists and creative thinkers have been developing, both locally and digitally, since October 2020. Singular within the landscape of residency programs is the structure of Mutations, which promotes the collective and collaborative work, research, and experimentation of a certain theme and, as such, simultaneously questions the distribution of the generated knowledge. Conceived well before the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Mutations group seeks to reconsider the notion of mutations and its multifaceted impact on social, political, and scientific structures. The exhibition is a direct response not only to these global developments, but also to the specific discussion around the role of art and its cultural importance. While approaching the subject of mutations from multiple vantage points, each of the seven fellows relates to its transformative potential at interconnected levels and scales, from the molecular level of the individual to the macro level of society.             

The exhibition consists of seven individual positions and two collaborations that all engage with the concept of mutations as processes with unpredictable outcomes: transformation, loss of control, and irreversibility, but also diversity, metamorphosis, and hybridity. The exhibition places importance on the varying perspectives and approaches within the group, which take the form of installative, site-specific, and immersive works that span the mediums of multimedia, installation, sound, and video. The works themselves are interventions, spread throughout the Akademie Schloss Solitude area.

The participating artists are: Sabina Hyoju Ahn: media and sound artist (South Korea); Angela Anderson: video artist and researcher (US/Germany); Grayson Earle: new media artist (US/Germany); Ana María Gómez López: artist, writer, and researcher (Colombia/US/The Netherlands); Clara Jo: video artist (Germany); Maxwell Mutanda: multidisciplinary researcher, visual artist, and designer (Zimbabwe); Joana Quiroga: visual artist and philosopher (Brazil).

Accompanying the exhibition, is a third edition of the Solitude Journal. Acting as editors, the Mutation thematic residency fellows offered a place and space for different approaches to the theme of mutations. Each invited artists, collectives, researchers, and creative thinkers to contribute texts and artworks that expand and deepen the thoughts that have been developing throughout the program. The exhibition and journal join the lecture series (which ran from March 22 – May 10, 2021) and the online platform mutations.akademie-solitude.de as output of the thematic residency program. The thematic focus on mutations also inspired a Web Residency call curated by members of the Mutations fellows, expanding the theme beyond the Akademie Schloss Solitude. 

Mutations is a cooperation between Akademie Schloss Solitude, an international and transdisciplinary artists’ residence based in Stuttgart, and the KfW Stiftung, Frankfurt, an independent nonprofit foundation active in the fields of Responsible Entrepreneurship, Social Commitment, Environment, and Climate as well as Arts & Culture. The Arts & Culture program focuses on intercultural dialogue and artistic production in the global context. 

Opening hours:
June 18 – August 1, 2021
Friday – Sunday from 1pm – 6pm
Grayson Earle’s installation can be viewed from dusk – midnight

Accompanying events:
June 18 – June 20, 2021: During the opening weekend, the artists will be onsite to engage in conversation with visitors. For exact times, please visit our website.

June 20, 2021, 1pm/2pm CET: Rose Field, project coordinator and curator, will give a tour through the exhibition. Space is limited, registration is required by 4pm on Friday, June 18, 2021, at anmeldung@akademie-solitude.de.  1pm in English / 2pm in German.

June 21, 2021, 6pm CET: An open discussion to reflect the potential of transdisciplinary and collaborative work on the example of the program. With the Mutations fellows and external guests. The discussion will take place digitally. The link will be posted on our website.  

Opening hours, accompanying events, and access to the exhibition are dependent upon current Covid-19 regulations and subject to change. For up-to-date information, please visit our website or contact us at: mail@akademie-solitude.de.