Was wir sehen wollen  / What We Want to See

Exhibition: February 19 - April 17, 2017
Curated by Lena Hartmann M.A.

“What We Want to See”- are appearances deceiving? Is the contact with the “new” solely determined by personal experiences, preconceived ideas and expectations? Does that often lead to misunderstandings? Six young artists play with the phenomenon of the “first glance” by challenging our reliability of our perception. They approach the topic in different ways. Still the exhibition room that the viewer is accustomed to and its surroundings are the point of departure of the works.
Caroline Bayer (*1973)- Her installation made for this exhibition reflects the history of the Kunstverein. It combines old architectural layouts, references to the different shapes of the building through out time, and traces of past ways the building was utilized.   
Christian Haake (*1969)- he produces one dimensional miniatures of three-dimensional spaces, visualising the difference between the sphere of reality, perception, or memories. Annika Kahrs (*1984)- In her poetic video presentation "Sunset-Sunrise" plays with the expectations towards the sunset in a surprising way.
Katja Kottmann (*1982)- The artist has done research about the surroundings of Neuenhaus. She has transferred pest ruts to be found on the church facades in Nordhorn, Uelsen, and Veldhausen on to large formatted works of frottage.
Dino Steinhof (*1987) He uses the facade of the Kunstverein to present long pieces of colored cloth on which word riddles are printed. They are hanging from the first floor, flowing in the wind. 
Carola Keitel (*1983) has curated new spaces in the courtyard of the Kunstverein using metal banisters. By separating different sections in a seemingly arbitrary way she questions the meaning of fences and barriers. Six artists intend to force the viewer to see familiar surroundings in a new way and thus to inspire them to be ready to redefine their personal stances and perspectives. (Translation: Darrion Hunt)

Online Catalogue (German / English) here

GN online by Thomas Kriegisch here

Das Projekt wird gefördert durch die Stadt Neuenhaus und das Niedersächsische Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Kultur