Kunstverein Langenhagen

Past

with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Kyong Ju Park, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan

"Stories we imagine, stories that connect us" with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Park Kyong Ju, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan. Kunstverein Langenhagen 2025. photos: Andre Germar.

Maya Angelou said, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” The group exhibition “Stories we imagine, stories that connect us” invites us to reflect together on how stories of care and community are created, re-told and passed on amidst the ongoing realities of political conflict, social violence and polarization. How does the history of marginalization and “otherness” affect the ways in which we perceive ourselves (or not) as part of the society in which we live? How can we uncover the layers of oral and visual narratives and texts to convey stories that would otherwise be 'lost' to future generations? How can we make visible the embodied knowledge that we can share and pass on to future generations? How can we make structures of oppression and discrimination visible, not to re-center them, but to hold them accountable and embark on a path of individual and collective healing? The four artists use various multimedia works to address these questions, opening up a space for discussion, reflection and exchange.

Park Kyong Ju, 26 Day Archeology Revised Edition, Single Channel Video, 2024

Germany is facing many challenges, including the rise of the far right and discrimination (racism, antisemitism, islamophobia ...), the cancellation and censorship of protests over the Gaza war, inflation, and an economic recession. The engine of Europe is kaput—or at least not in great health—and the geopolitical situation is very fragile.

How is this affecting us?

There is tension in the air, and this project, Situated Dissonance, aims to experience it through specific means in a specific place: Langenhagen.

Social dissonance refers to the discrepancies between liberal conceptions of freedom, our self-understanding, and a reality that is disintegrating those values.

This long-term project involves translating a book with the help of AI while conducting a reading group that comments on how the issues we discuss relate to what is happening in Langenhagen. This will be complemented by performative interpretations of an instruction score and interventions in the public sphere. The project will conclude with a Festival of Social Noise later on this year. The material generated during the project will later be used to create a publication.

You are invited to take part in this ambitious experimental project.

Dates:
We will meet on site in Langenhage 15 March, 3 May and 28 June 2025 from 3pm to 7pm.

Additionally we'll meet online once every month (25.3., 29.4., 27.5., 24.6., 29.7. and 26.8., each time from 6pm to 8pm)

Please register for texts, information on meeting places and more at mail@kunstverein-langenhagen.de

At the end of Situated Dissonance, we are organising the Festival of Social Noise from 19 to 21 September 2025.

This project is inspired by a work of the artist Karolin Meunier, an experimental translation of a book by the Italian feminist and author Carla Lonzi.

Social Dissonance was originally published in English by Urbanomic/MIT Press.

Exhibition view, Fumiko Kikuchi “Me I See In You” in the exhibition “Stories that We Imagine, Stories that Connect Us”, Kunstverein Langenhagen, 2025, photo: Foto: Andre Germar

This event is part of the exhibition ‘Stories we imagine, stories that connect us’ with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Park Kyong Ju, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan.

Detailed information will follow shortly.

In this online reading session, we will be reading a chapter from Cathy Park Hong's Minor Feelings: A Reckoning on Race and the Asian Condition, titled "The End of White Innocence". We will discuss what it means, in Hong's words, to "look sideways", instead of "looking back" in nostalgia, at childhood. We will also address why (visual, oral, etc.) narratives or stories we tell about ourselves are important, not only in relation to the national imaginary, but also in terms of how future generations are impacted with regard to notions of identity and belonging. As Cathy Park Hong's chapter is written in a less theoretical or scholarly way and references many personal anecdotes, participants will also be encouraged, in similar fashion, to share their personal stories and lived experiences.

Alongside Hong’s work, we will bring in short excerpts from Subaltern Studies 2.0 by Milinda Banerjee and Jelle JP Wouters to discuss how knowledge and identity can be co-opted by neoliberalism and the "society of the spectacle," turning personal and collective histories into commodities while silencing alternative ways of knowing.

This reading session is a space for conversation, storytelling, and collective reflection. Bring your thoughts, your experiences, and your curiosity. Let’s learn from each other!

Participation in the reading group is capped at 20 participants. Please register by sending an email to mail@kunstverein-langenhagen.de to receive the Zoom link and the .pdfs we will read. The reading session is facilitated by Thaís Omine and Kathy-Ann Tan, and will take place in English.

This event is part of the exhibition ‘Stories we imagine, stories that connect us’ with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Park Kyong Ju, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan.

Park Kyong Ju disseminates information regarding the socio-cultural context of the works exhibited at the exhibition. In the lecture performance, the artist Park delivers a lecture on 'Asian immigrant women_especially international marriage related to human trafficking', a key issue in the tragedy of Tran Thanh Lan's death. Park will also read excerpts from the aforementioned diary to the audience.

Tran Thanh Lan's wedding photo ©2007 Huan Kim Anh (Tran Thanh Lan’s mother)

Park Kyong Ju has devoted over 17 years to studying the diary of Tran Thanh Lan, a Vietnamese migrant woman who died after moving to Korea through an illegal international marriage involving human trafficking. It is estimated that 24 cases of migrant women who have tragically died in Korea have been reported in the media between 2007 and 2023. Tran Thanh Lan is the only one among them who kept a diary. Park's works symbolically demonstrate how the institution of marriage, which should be founded on love, is commodified under the domination of capital.

This event is part of the exhibition ‘Stories we imagine, stories that connect us’ with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Park Kyong Ju, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan.

Embodying Tradition and Innovation in Ryukyu Dance with Riko Sugama

Since stepping into the world of Ryukyu traditional dance in 1992 and later embracing the art of Uta-Sanshin in 2005, Riko Sugama has devoted her life to mastering and showcasing the unique cultural heritage of the Ryukyu Islands. Based in Berlin, Sugama brings a blend of traditional and contemporary styles to her performances, illustrating the rich tapestry of Ryukyu history and its cross-cultural beyond.

Her performances are not merely dances but are powerful expressions of the Ryukyu spirit, crafted to foster understanding and peaceful interaction among diverse cultures.
Join us on June 1st in Langenhagen as Riko Sugama performs a mesmerizing repertoire that promises to captivate, bridging the past and the future of Ryukyu's vibrant performing arts.

This event is part of the exhibition ‘Stories we imagine, stories that connect us’ with Lizza May David, Fumiko Kikuchi, Thaís Omine, Park Kyong Ju, curated by Kathy-Ann Tan.

Stories that We Imagine, Stories that Connect Us

Opening

Situated Dissonance with Mattin

Tour and discussion with "Gemeinsam leben in Langenhagen e.V."

Reading Session (online)

Lan's Diary: a Lecture Performance with Park Kyong Ju

Finissage & Closing Performance with Riko Sugama

NIE WIEDER EIGENTUM: Horse and Artificial Intelligence

Free space for thoughts and buildings #8

summer party

Members' exhibition