The exhibition was about connectedness—the connection between humans and their environment, as well as the interdependence of things in general. One of the inspirations for the exhibition came from a concept by the Greek philosopher Plato. In one of his writings, Plato compares humans to an upside-down plant, suggesting that we are rooted not in the earth, but in the sky. We adopted this concept for the exhibition, presenting the idea that humans are connected to the world through their thoughts, memories, and emotions.
ROOTED AND BRANCHED presented five artistic positions, each in its own space. These spaces were not separate from each other, but joined through openings so that a sense of connectedness, togetherness, and conversation could also arise there.

We developed a rich supporting programme for the exhibition, including workshops, excursions and lectures, all of which were well attended. My personal highlight was the collage workshop with Simone Scharbert, in which participants and I created collages from words and images.
I gave several guided tours of the exhibition, during which our guests repeatedly told us that they found the theme appealing and that the artworks evoked something in them. If you can achieve that with an exhibition, then it is a success and you have done a good job.

The Missing Link

The theme of connectedness is reflected in our motto for the year. A quote from the American scholar Donna Haraway, which we displayed prominently on the wall, reads: “Nobody lives everywhere; everyone lives somewhere. Nothing is connected to everything; everything is connected to something.” This quote was also decisive for the concept of the exhibition, which involved selecting artistic positions that examine exactly what and how things are connected, rather than simply stating that things are connected in general. 

 

The richly illustrated book accompanying the exhibition highlights six artistic positions of the twentyfirst century that deal in different ways with questions of belonging, interconnectedness, and the interdependence of people and the world as well as things in general.