Unstable Equilibrium
Unstable Equilibrium is a concept from the field of physics and describes a state of equilibrium of a body that moves further away from its original position when slightly displaced. Instability, transformation, and movement are common themes and focal points of the three artists Mirsini Artakianou, Michal Fuchs, and Katharina Gahlert.
Their works negotiate in different ways questions about transforming identities, migration, inner and outer landscapes, as well as the relationship between humans and nature in times of the Anthropocene. Self-consciously, they demand space, they create surfaces of encounter and fields of tension with each other and with the viewers. Materiality plays an important role in their work: from thin thread to solid concrete – each of the selected raw materials is skillfully used and reflected.
The exhibition brings the three artistic positions together and relates them to each other. Here, points of contact and exchange, as well as contrasts, are made visible. Process, ritual as well as tireless repetition are in the foreground: critically and consciously citing the perception of women* in the art world.
Participating Artists
Mirsini Artakianou (*1987 in Lesbos, Greece) is a Greek-German artist. She holds a diploma degree (2006-2012) in Fine Arts and Art Theory from Ioannina University in Greece and completed postgraduate studies at Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle from 2014 to 2016. She received several scholarships and participated in artist residencies in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Turkey. In 2021 she was awarded the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Artist Fellowship by ARTWORKS. She has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Greece, Germany, and France, among others. She lives and works in Leipzig and Athens.
Michal Fuchs (*1983 in the Negev, Israel) studied from 2007 to 2009 at the Musrara School of Art in Jerusalem. After a few years in Tel Aviv and Berlin, she studied at Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle in the Sculpture Metal class from 2014 to 2020. She received several awards and scholarships, including in 2019 the competition of the Evangelical Church of Central Germany and in 2020 the recognition award of the Saalesparkasse Foundation. She presented her work in solo exhibitions in Eisenach, Jena, and Wittenberg, as well as in numerous group exhibitions in Leipzig, Vienna, Dresden, and Berlin, among others. She lives and works in Halle (Saale), Berlin, and Jerusalem.
Katharina Gahlert (*1986 in Annaberg-Buchholz) studied art education at the University of Leipzig and Painting/ Textile Arts and Jewelry at Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle. In 2014 she realized a Kunst-am-Bau project in Augustusburg Castle and in 2020 her works were on display during the performance “Just a circlusion” at the LOFFT Theater in Leipzig. In 2021, her diploma was awarded the main prize of the Saalesparkasse Foundation. In 2022 she is a scholarship holder at the Künstlergut Prösitz. Gahlert’s works have been shown in numerous exhibitions and projects in Halle, Leipzig, Munich, and Magdeburg. She lives and works in Halle (Saale).
Exhibition curated by Silvia Gaetti (*1987 in Sassuolo, Italy) works as a curator at the GRASSI Museum of Applied Arts in Leipzig. From 2013 to 2016 she worked as a trainee curator at the Ethnological Museum in Berlin and before that in various galleries as well as at the Venice and Berlin Biennale in the field of mediation. She completed her studies in art history in a global context and sinology in Venice and Leiden with stays in Berlin and Beijing. The thematic focus of her curatorial work lies in the areas of transculturality and transdisciplinarity in art and design with a special emphasis on gender and environmental issues.