Arsenal/ Armoury

20 October 2002 - 20 December 2002

Wandelhalle, Cologne, DE

Works by: Anna Anders, Lillian Ball, Ellen Bornkessel, Susanne Brügger, Bettina Buck, Gunnar Friel, Olaf Hirschberg, Iris Hoppe, Nik Kern, Stefan Kern, Andreas Kopp, Sigrid Lange, Matthew McCaslin, Thom Merrick, Egbert Mittelstädt, Hans Op de Beeck, Paulette Phillips, Sebastian Reuzé, Isa Rosenberger, Corinna Schnitt, Stefan Sous, Birgit Werres, Vadim Zakharov.

Under the title "Armory / Arsenal" the Wandelhalle opened its new exhibition rooms in Cologne city center in October. So far, exhibitions and projects have taken place at changing locations in Cologne, but the current "residency" does not make the Wandelhalle a traditional exhibition space. Rather, the new square is used for artistic experimentation and reflection on topics related to the urban public and its enclosed space.

While an arsenal usually refers to a warehouse or a collection of weapons and equipment, the explosive power of "Armory / Arsenal" lies in the artistic visions on display. It is an extremely exciting collection of models and concepts in interaction with the outside space and which are implemented in various media such as photography, painting, sculpture and film. The works are presented on an old storage shelf that, in its entirety, is more reminiscent of an oversized sculpture than a conventional presentation aid.

The video work by Paulette Phillips with the title "It's about how people judge appearance" has a disturbing effect: A young woman walks through the streets, bumps her head against the walls and corners and continues to stagger with blood to repeatedly hit her head.

The work "When the sun rises early in blood red" by Nik Kern is completely different: The legs of a hiker still protrude from a "mountain" mounted on a turntable. The mountain, illuminated by a red lamp, rotates on request, including a turntable and record, and the visitor can listen to the sounds of the song of the same name.

The work "Backgrounds" by Iris Hoppe makes you smile as well as makes you think: The artist made people pose in front of different photo wallpapers in cities and documented both their behavior and the different reactions of passers-by.

The works on display, as well as the concepts and documentation of the same, attempt to examine the field of tension between art in public space. The artistic realization of this complex subject succeeds extremely fresh and informal. You feel invited to approach the storage rack with curiosity and to deal with its content with joy in art. An unusual exhibition that should be seen.

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