There is no doubt that we all are. At the same time, it sounds contradictory, as vulnerability implies dependence and calls into question the autonomous subject. It is precisely for this reason that vulnerability represents a fundamental aspect of empathetic and caring coexistence.
Over the course of two semesters, a group of students engaged intensively with concepts of vulnerability as part of an interdisciplinary project seminar of the same name at the Kunsthochschule Kassel. Various related aspects and interrelationships, such as (non-)affectedness, origin or precariousness, were reflected upon and discussed on the basis of texts and artistic positions. Topics addressed included animals as subjects of vulnerability, the human gaze upon animals, and the role of empathy in this relationship. Furthermore, the seminar examined different dimensions of shame and classism, as well as processes of marginalisation, self-empowerment and resistance in relation to vulnerability.
Personal, familial, societal – the exhibition “Verletzbare Subjekte”, on view in the exhibition hall from 28 May to 21 June, brings together artistic positions from various disciplines and opens up multi-layered perspectives on individual and collective experiences of vulnerability. The exhibition interweaves private and analytical explorations, film with painting, and individual works with group projects. Through the curation of the exhibition, stories and experiences converge, both spatially and conceptually, inviting visitors to draw a common thread between the positions on display and to explore the complex concept of vulnerability.
(Text in German: Tony Bartos and monia pieniążek)
Exhibitors: Sarah Bach, Tony Bartos, Linda Deuse, Lynn Eckert, Lisa Geitner, Max Graf, Venus Kaiser, Mira Juraschka, Max Kager, Helene Kölle, Charlotte Kühn, Louisa Leipacher, Nikolaj Lölke, Julie Matthées, Mathis Meier, Marlon Meng, Aretha Mueller, Greta Nicklaus, Carla M. Neurath, monia pieniążek, Joshua Schmidt, Kira Schmidt, Johan Steinmetz
Concept & Seminar: Prof. Peggy Buth, Clemens Krümmel
Exhibition design: Holger Jenss, Defne Kizilöz
Opening
Thursday, 28 May 2026, 6 pm
(with performances and music by Marilyn Harvest)
Artist Talk: Harry Hachmeister in conversation with Intermedial Photography
Wednesday 10 June 2026, 6 pm
Duration
29 May–21 June 2026
Opening hours
Wednesday, Thursday: 3–6 pm
Saturday, Sunday: 12–6 pm
Exhibition Hall, Kunsthochschule Kassel
Menzelstraße 13–15
34121 Kassel