Published 4 SEP 2024

31 AUG until 5 OCT 2024

The exhibition features works by Yara Asmar – musician and puppeteer from Beirut –, Pina Bendfeld – artist, writer, and curator from Düsseldorf – and Ukrainian artist Yevgeniya Kuzmenko, who works under the name Atelier Planeta in Warsaw. Together, they create an exceptional scenario through video works and expansive installations, transforming the gallery into an enchanting stage. The video installations comprise black-and-white short films projected onto large scale puppet theaters draped in textiles. These veiled stages evoke the haunting atmosphere of abandoned spaces, straddling the line between remnants of human presence and their absence. This evocative setup immerses viewers in a realm where past and present converge in a fragmented temporal experience. A specially composed sound piece subtly enhances this atmosphere of gentle melancholy.

Yara Asmar, whose 2023 album Synth Waltzes and Accordion Laments was recognized by Pitchfork as one of the year’s best experimental releases, plays a central role in this exhibition. Her innovative video and sound works enter into a mesmerizing dialogue with Pina Bendfeld’s conceptual scenographic interventions—featuring puppet houses and otherworldly masks—and Atelier Planeta’s symbolically rich collaged textiles.

The exhibition delves into a subtle yet compelling sense of melancholy that emerges when encountering spaces and objects that, though unchanged, no longer evoke the anticipated emotions. It reflects on the paradox of temporality by illuminating the fragile nature of memory and the fictions we inhabit. The nostalgia explored here does not merely signify a yearning for the past but rather an unease stemming from the disjunction between memory, embedded emotions, and shifting perceptions. Thematically, the exhibition references fictions, fables, and childhood puppet plays, both scenographically and cinematically, transforming the gallery into a living storybook. This space weaves together diverse narratives and concepts, offering visitors a magical and contemplative experience. The works invite viewers to ponder the intricate relationships between physical space, memory, and the subjective experience of time.