The group exhibition Lusus Naturae reflects on the questions of a hybrid future. From 20th January – 7th February, Lusus Naturae takes place physically and digitally at BcmA Gallery in Kreuzberg. Lusus Naturae is curated by Vanessa Souli and welcomes 50 established artists with more than 90 works from the Berlin and international art scene. The exhibition focusses on the topic of deformation and monstrosity, interpreted by a variety of visual artists working with sculpture, painting, drawing, collage as well as hybrid formats of artworks. The exhibition, aiming to support creativity despite the economic and social constraints that Covid-19 has imposed on the art community, will be available in the physical gallery space as well as in 3D-tour format.
The Latin term lusus naturae roughly translates as the ‘freak of nature’ or ‘wonder of nature’. It has its roots in the 17th century, where it was used to describe incomprehensible objects and deformed beings, before there was a scientific explanation for their existence. Monstrosity and mutation have been topics which have interested humanity since the beginning of time and with the advent of the pandemic, these questions have become more important than ever.
What future can we envision in the post-pandemic era? The works presented (many of which were made exclusively for this exhibition) ask further questions on the concepts of ‘beauty’ and ‘ugliness’, deformation and ‘normality’ nowadays and invite the public to rethink the archaic definitions of such words, taking into account the development of these concepts through the pandemic, social media and the gender discourse. As Souli puts it, ‘a lusus naturae is a misunderstood being that deserves our admiration and attention‘. The works, all selected or made to fit the dimensions of up to 50 x 50 cm will hang in the experimental St. Petersburg Hanging style. All artworks are for sale.
The opening will take place on the 20.01.2021 at 18h via Instagram Live at the Bcma Gallery in Kreuzberg.
Participants are: Katharina Arndt, Jim Avignon, Fritz Bornstück, Stefano Bosis, Dimitra Bouritsa, Maxim Brandt, Beth Braun, Joanna Buchowska, Ulrike Buhl, Troels Carlsen, Mimmo Catania, Claudia Chaseling, Jeroen Cremers, Amrita Dhillon, GodsDogs, Grigori Dor, Christina Foitou, Elena Alonso Fernandez, Zohar Fraiman, Abie Franklin, Andrew Gilbert, Giuseppe Gonella, Lennart Grau, Philip Grözinger, Eric Haacht, Tanja Hehmann, René Holm, Stella Kapezanou, Sarah Kretchmer, Miriam Lenk, Katsuhiko Matsubara, Christopher Colm Morrin, Amalia Mourad, Mascha Naumova, Anna Nezhnaya, Justine Otto, Eglė Otto, Allan Paul, Christian Perdix, Paul Pretzer, Cornelia Renz, Noah Ryu, Susanne Schirdewahn, Moritz Schleime, Kerstin Serz, Semra Sevin, Alexander Skorobogatov, Rebecca Stevenson, Mairen Hernandez, Miriam Vlaming
VISITING THE GALLERY Physical visits are allowed per appointment until further notice. The exhibition will be hosted online through a 3D virtual tour, as well as through guided video tours and an online viewing room on the page of the gallery. For information on the artworks, tours and appointments, please contact info@vanessa-souli.com
THE LOCATION Berlin con mucho Arte (BcmA) was founded in 2010 by Ricardo de Larrea in the heart of the cultural and club scene of Kreuzberg, to promote intercultural cooperation between German and international artists, designers and filmmakers. The focus is to enable emerging and professional artists to collectively exhibit, curate, and collaborate. The gallery is co-run by Wolfgang Flad and Jeroen Cremers.
THE INITIATOR & CURATOR Vanessa Souli (*1992 in Athens, lives and works in Berlin) is an independent curator, writer and arts manager. Since 2017 she curates exhibitions internationally and writes for established magazines. She has worked for the Barberini Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Thessaloniki and the Athens Digital Arts Festival, among others. Her current curatorial interests include the age of the ‘Anthropocene’ and the relation of literature to art.
Contact
bcma.gallery/lusus-naturae/
Instagram: @bcma_berlin
