Sara-Lena Maierhofer, Baptiste Brossard, and Helen Dowling: RITUAL

Galerie Stadt Sindelfingen is currently presenting the group exhibition RITUAL, which can be seen until May 29, 2022. On display are the works of the artists Helen Dowling, Sara-Lena Maierhofer and Baptiste Brossard. All three artists deal with the theme of ritual through different approaches.

The British artist Helen Dowling investigates the origin of rituals in her works by processing habits, repetitions and the rhythm of actions in her video works. Her works can be understood as similar to a grammar of rituals.

Baptiste Brossard, on the other hand, is concerned with ritual as a social phenomenon. His works focus on social phenomena such as carnival parades or bullfights. His videos and sculptures oscillate between the collective experience and the negative influence of group dynamics.

Sara-Lena Maierhofer deals with non-European cultures. Her objects describe the history of the colonial past and the misappropriation of ritual and religious objects. She refers to the misappropriation of exhibits from their original context, which are now viewed by visitors who do not know their actual history and meaning.

Very topical is the theme of ritual in the pandemic situation in which we all still find ourselves. All of our lives are determined by rituals, even though we currently have to refrain from many such ritual acts. No matter whether they have a religious background or an everyday context, such as a handshake or a hug to greet someone. Rituals can be part of a special ceremony, the initiation of a new phase of life, such as school enrollment or a wedding.

Rituals follow certain rules, word sequences, procedures and actions which always have an emotional symbolic content. Furthermore, rituals are not only an individual expression, but they are also part of a larger context. They promote our community, support processes of change and take place on a variety of communication levels. However, it was precisely the physical expression of rituals that had to be greatly reduced or even completely curtailed during the pandemic. In addition to the pandemic, however, there are a number of other factors that restrict and change rituals. Climate change and digitization are just two of many factors that continue to pose a major challenge to our society.

The different approaches of the artists to the topic of ritual make clear how manifold, complex, but omnipresent rituals are anchored in our society. The ambivalence that rituals bring with them, through their continuous repetition and the simultaneous change to which they are subject, make them a fragile and dynamic subject.

The exhibition RITUAL can also be perceived as an online exhibition on the website of Galerie Stadt Sindelfingen. 

Admission is free.