The Myth of Normal

Kunstverein Hannover
Sophienstraße 2
30159 Hannover
Germany
Hours: Tuesday–Saturday, 2–9pm; Sunday, Holidays, 11am–7pm

Salzburger Kunstverein
Hellbrunner Straße 3
5020 Salzburg
Austria
Hours: Tuesday–Sunday 12–7pm

Kunstverein Hannover and Salzburger Kunstverein present The Myth of Normal.

“If we want a clear and accurate view of human health, we will have to broaden our understanding of ‘bodymind’ to include the myriad roles that other minds and other bodies play in shaping our well-being, indeed our very sense of self. Unity, it turns out, extends well beyond the unitary individual.”
—Gabor Maté, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture (2022)

“for ‘health’ is an entire symbol. of no fixed meaning a vulgar
phenomenon which moves through the ongoing days in the
latest stage of this capitalist age in which medicine moves like
money through the air where the antiseptics of the medical-
industrial factory reside. in this data I dissolve feeling. we are
mountains turned upside down for gold. as information
equates to collecting abstractions of the first person…”
—Cat Chong, When Health Becomes Available (2024)

Kunstverein Hannover and Salzburger Kunstverein are delighted to announce their collaboration through sister exhibitions titled The Myth of Normal. Of Competing and Conceding and The Myth of Normal. Chronic Contradictions, alongside a joint performance program, When the Body Says Yes (Or Maybe). Spanning two cities with a shared thematic focus, the group exhibitions explore standards of “normalcy” within health and societal expectations, drawing inspiration from the work of Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned figure in the study of trauma.

As sister exhibitions, The Myth of Normal challenge and interrogate the pervasive norms and dichotomies that shape our understanding of well-being and being well within societal integration, inviting various audiences to reflect on the complex interplay between individual health and collective socio-political norms. Artistic contributions—which come together in different formations in Hannover and Salzburg respectively—shed light on power distribution and ableism in societies with vastly increasing numbers of illnesses and trauma, despite unprecedented advances in medical research and therapy.

Kunstverein Hannover
The Myth of Normal. Of Competing and Conceding
May 4–July 14, 2024
Opening: May 3, 2024, 7pm

Artists: Panteha Abareshi, Manuela Bolegue, Jeamin Cha, Emilie L. Gossiaux, Itamar Gov, Nikita Kadan, Marcos Lutyens, Berenice Olmedo, Perel, Benoît Piéron, Peter Schloss, Finnegan Shannon, Julischka Stengele, and Imogen Stidworthy

Curated by Christoph Platz-Gallus.
Assistant Curator: Carlota Gómez

Salzburger Kunstverein
The Myth of Normal. Chronic Contradictions
May 9–June 30, 2024
Opening: May 8, 2024, 8pm

Artists: Cat Chong, Jeamin Cha, Itamar Gov, Perel, Benoît Piéron, Marianna Rodziewicz, Finnegan Shannon, Anastasia Sosunova, Julischka Stengele, Imogen Stidworthy, and Julia Zöhrer

Curated by Mirela Baciak.
Curatorial Assistant: Temitayo Olalekan

Performance program When the Body Says Yes (Or Maybe)
Salzburger Kunstverein: May 25, 2024, 4pm
Kunstverein Hannover: May 31, 2024, 4pm 
Performances by Perel and Benoît Piéron
Co-produced by Salzburger Kunstverein and Kunstverein Hannover
Co-curated by Mirela Baciak and Christoph Platz-Gallus

The performance program When the Body Says Yes (Or Maybe) showcases new works by Perel and Benoît Piéron. Perel invites the audience to explore the space of mourning in a nonlinear and nonbinary way, asking what it means to perform in the drag of a dead relative, and whether the line between the living and the dead is quite so fixed. Piéron’s new work echoes remarks from his school reports of school absences related to illness and hints at a deeper exploration of presence and absence through the non-muscular perspective.

Press contacts
Kunstverein Hannover: Olga Nevzorova, presse@kunstverein-hannover.de / T +49(0)511 1699278-12
Salzburger Kunstverein: Michaela Lederer, lederer@salzburger-kunstverein.at / T +43(0)662 842294-15