FLOAT

FLOAT is a gathering, a clash, cultural flotsam in an arena. FLOAT is a state of mind and a constant struggle to accept the incomplete, to embrace ambiguity in a world that is based on binary standards, categories and assumptions. Enduring the in-betweenness is a challenge because of stereotyped thinking that is taughht from brith onwards. It is worthwhile though to seek the undefined and the polymorphic. We can learn a lot about ourselves, recognize parts of us in different artworks and artistic statements. This exhibition brings together works by eleven artists. Some of them are at the beginning of their career, some have already established themselves in the artsand-culture landscape. The artists differ from each other in their biographies, selfdesignations, their age and in the media with which they work. The works on display are diverse in their materiality as well as in the themes they address. “To float” is a verb that exudes movement, but also passivity: a buoy floating; a person drifting; someone floating through space; clouds drifting by; leaves sailing through the air; music sounding through an open window outside; something that comes to mind. What does “floating” mean to you? Is that something you can experience in your everyday life? Do you feel comfortable in this state? Do you aspire to float? Again and again, FLOAT raises questions about the self, about the boundaries between me and what lies outside of me – and whether these boundaries are not more of a hindrance than help. Language, gender attribution, the body and cultural affiliation are aspects under whose auspices the drawing of boundaries is adressed within the exhibition. In addition to German, other languages can be found in FLOAT: English, Turkish, Korean and Setswana.