Mischa Kuball

In an era incre­a­singly permeated by so-called “alter­na­tive facts” in both the private and political spheres, the artist Mischa Kuball (*1959) poses central questions of meaning. He reveals social modes of action and political discourses, which, through his works, are simul­ta­ne­ously subjected to revision. To this end, he collated, for example, the office lighting of a high-rise building at night to form light patterns that question everyday energy consump­tion in the nocturnal skyline, or let a paper-thin rescue blanket be blown by the wind through streets or lands­capes, the lightness and fragility of which is reminis­cent of the insta­bi­lity and finiteness of human life. The exhibi­tion Referenz­Räume (transl. reference spaces) has a retro­spec­tive character and presents for the first time a cross-section of Kuball’s work of the last three decades, including large-scale instal­la­tions, photo­graphs, video projec­tions, documen­ta­tions, etc. from the work complex public prepo­si­tion.

Kuball sees himself as a concep­tual artist working in various media and spaces. The exhibi­tion presents his funda­mental ideas with a selection of succinct works. A series of large and fasci­na­ting instal­la­tions thus combine the use of light with a reflec­tion on social, political, and scien­tific issues. Works created especially for Wolfsburg or placed in a new context enhance the exhibi­tion with current socio-political references. The archi­tec­ture and the immediate surroun­dings of the museum buildings will also be incor­po­rated into the exhibition.

The exhibi­tion and publi­ca­tion project Mischa Kuball. Referenz­Räume initiated by the Kunst­mu­seum Wolfsburg, is being prepared in close colla­bo­ra­tion with the artist and realized in coope­ra­tion with the Museum Morsbroich in Lever­kusen, where the exhibi­tion will subse­quently be on view from November 15, 2021 to March 6, 2022.

The accom­panying German-English publi­ca­tion (edited by Andreas Beitin, Holger Broeker, and Fritz Emslander) will be the first compre­hen­sive compen­dium of Mischa Kuball’s work since 2007. An image section designed by the artist opens up connec­tions between the works and gives the publi­ca­tion the character of an artist’s book. The texts by Lilian Haberer, Daniel Horn, Christina Irrgang, and Marcus Steinweg offer a profound exami­na­tion of central aspects and themes in the work of Mischa Kuball.

The exhibi­tion and publi­ca­tion project Mischa Kuball. Referenz­Räume is generously supported by the Stiftung Kunst­fonds and the Kunst­stif­tung NRW.

Curator
Holger Broeker

Curato­rial assis­tance
Birte Hinrichsen
Dino Steinhof