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15.12.2019 – 31.05.2020

Unfinished Histories: The Better Alchemists

Contemporary Artists Respond to Leonhard Thurneysser

15.12.2019 – 30.01.2020
Unfinished Histories Vol. V [Exhibition]
Leonhard Thurneyssers Riddles

01.02. – 31.05.2020
Unfinished Histories Vol. VI [Exhibition]
Haytham El-Wardany, Monika Rinck

31.5.2020  04 - 06:30 pm
The Better Alchemists in Dialogue
lecture, reading and talk with Haytham El-Wardany, Jasmin Mersmann, Monika Rinck
Hosted by Babes Bar with „Libations“
moderated by Paz Guevara

4 pm lecture:
Jasmin Mermann „Hyperphysik, oder: Die Transmutationen des Leonhard Thurneysser zum Thurn“
5 pm reading and talk:
Haytham El-Wardany „True Fables“ and Monika Rinck „Goldes Wert“


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"The Better Alchemists: Contemporary Artists Respond to Leonhard Thurneysser" explores the methods of the alchemist Thurneysser, who operated Berlin's first printing press, a laboratory, and a Wunderkammer in the monastery. In addition to alchemy, Thurneysser dealt with metallurgy, botany, uroscopy, translation, amongst others. As "Better Alchemists", authors and artists are invited to engage with the historical context, linguistic and scientific approaches of the controversial figure Thurneysser.

The exhibition opens in mid-December with Thurneysser's (Vol. V.) alchemical riddles. Until the 18th century, the genre of riddle rhymes was a common literary form used by many alchemists including Thurneysser who often encoded alchemical knowledge and factual questions in rhyme form. In the first episode of this year's programme, two of Leonhard Thurneysser's riddles from the 16th century are shown. The rhymes come from the Quinta essentia (1574) and from one of his major works, Archidoxa - an elaborately designed, large-format book developed in his printing shop that contained planetary tables, which he claims could be used to predict the future.
 
The programme continues in February until the first weekend in May with texts by Monika Rinck and Haytham El-Wardany (Vol. VI). On the 2nd May a symposium will conclude the programme with the authors, art historians and performances.

The focus of the exhibition is a multimedia LED installation in the Klosterruine. Artistic Production: Carolina Redondo
During the seasonal closure of the Klosterruine until the beginning of May, the exhibition can be viewed from the outside every day between 10am-10pm.

 

23.3.2020 – 19.4.2020

Times in Crisis

With Leda Bourgogne, Verena Buttman, Eli Cortiñas, Magdalena Los, Nick Koppenhagen, David Reiber Otálora, Julia Novacek, Pablo Schlumberger, Mirjam Thomann, Nik Timkova & Zuzana Žabková a.o. 

Invited by Christopher Weickenmeier/Produced by Carolina Redondo

The COVID-19 outbreak has done away with ordinary life. For now. But when exactly is this now? To act in this crisis is to anticipate its effects, to not waste time. All the while in Wuhan, China, the numbers of new infections are stagnating and the worst appears a thing of the past. The far-reaching measures of “social distancing” enforced by the state and the subsequent suspension of our everyday routines are bound to further obscure our sense of time. Trying to stay in touch with the “outside world”, many of us turn to the news, exposing us to a time that is nothing but a sequence of events, one that can virtually be sped up at will. “Times in Crisis” invites artists to adapt the format of the video diary and to keep track of their time. Insisting on daily repetition, it constitutes an invitation to check in and slow down. After all, the speed of the virus spreading, is the same with which people go to work, take breaks, meet friends, have a drink, take the stairs and sleep. Against the predominant impression that we don’t have any, we actually do have time. Time we should use, to take care of each other.

Eine Online-Ausstellung auf dem Youtube-Channel und den Social Media Accounts der Klosterruine Berlin