Continuities of right-wing violence: "Offener Prozess" exhibition comes to Kassel.
Right-wing violence takes lives - then and now. From March 20, 2024 to May 12, 2024, the exhibition hall of the Kunsthochschule Kassel will be showing the exhibition "Open Trial" on the NSU complex and thus locates living remembrance as a political act. With this exhibition, Kassel is also remembering two people who were murdered by right-wing terrorist violence in the city: Halit Yozgat (2006) and Walter Lübcke (2019).
The "Open Trial" exhibition shows the effects of racist acts of violence. It makes them visible using the example of the NSU complex, the social processing of which has still not been completed.
Too often, it is the stories of the perpetrators that are at the center of the narrative. The ASA-FF association's "Open Trial" project breaks with this tradition. Instead, it attempts to give those affected a voice. In doing so, "Offener Prozess" focuses on migration histories and migrant struggles as well as continuities of right-wing and racist violence and thus creates the necessary attention for structural and institutional racism.
Listening as a political practice
As part of the exhibition, the history of the NSU complex is portrayed using individual stories. The "living memory" approach focuses on marginalized perspectives. The exhibition also focuses on structural and institutional racism.
Artistic contributions come from Harun Farocki, Hito Steyerl, belit sağ, Želimir Žilnik, Ulf Aminde and Forensic Architecture, among others. They deal with the realities of life of so-called contract and guest workers, migration stories, acts of right-wing terrorism and their effects as well as everyday racism. Activist initiatives commemorate the victims.
The concept of "living remembrance" is understood as an ongoing process in this exhibition. According to the concept of curators Ayşe Güleç and Fritz Laszlo Weber, "Open Process" understands listening as a political practice and remembering as an ongoing process.
By confronting the past, questions of justice and responsibility are raised in the here and now. "Open Process" therefore invites visitors not only to reflect, but also to actively act in order to address the causes and consequences of right-wing violence and institutional racism and to shape a society based on solidarity.
The exhibition aims to make the NSU complex more transparent for a wide audience with the help of the exhibits, a method manual, the multilingual mediation team and a supporting program. The exhibition works are available in Turkish, Arabic, English and plain language. The audiovisual works also include an audio description for blind people.
The "Open Process" exhibition is a project by ASA-FF e.V.
We would like to thank our sponsors for their support of the exhibition:
Hessische Kulturstiftung, Hessische Landeszentrale für politische Bildung, Stadt Kassel, Universität Kassel
Opening
March 20, 2024, 6 pm
Duration
March 21 to May 12, 2024
Opening hours
Wednesday, 3-8 p.m. Thursday to Sunday, 1-6 p.m.
Admission is free of charge.
Location
Ausstellungshalle, Kunsthochschule Kassel
Menzelstr. 13, 34121 Kassel
Exhibition program: here
Open guided tours and tours
Every Wednesday in different languages (without registration):
27.03.24, 5:30 pm (German, Turkish)
03.04.24, 4 pm (English)
10.04.24, 5 pm (German, Mandarin)
17.04.24, 5:30 pm (German, Turkish)
24.04.24, 5:30 pm (Spanish)
01.05.24, 12 pm & 4 pm (German)
08.05.24, 5:30 pm (English)
Exhibition tours by appointment:
Workshops and guided tours for large groups such as school classes (from 8th/9th grade), clubs etc. are possible by individual arrangement during and outside opening hours. In the joint tour of the exhibition, we ask about the consequences of right-wing attitudes and right-wing terrorist violence for our society and thus for each and every one of us. After visiting the exhibition, there will be an opportunity to talk in the exhibition rooms to reflect together on what we have seen and to clarify any unanswered questions. The exhibition tour is offered for groups of 5 to max. 25 people and lasts approx. 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The main topics of the tour and the language can be individually adapted to suit the target group by arrangement. The workshops last 3 to 4 hours, depending on the arrangement.
The guided tours, tours and workshops are all free of charge.
Inquiries for exhibition tours by e-mail to:
offener-prozess[at]uni-kassel.de
Coordination: Defne Kizilöz