Youth vs. Crisis. A Generation in Search of a Future

In anticipation of its upcoming 200^th anniversary, the Kunsthalle Bremen doesn’t want to look back, but rather decidedly ahead: What topics and issues are important to young people today? What kind of world do they want to live in tomorrow, and how are they shaping it? With the exhibition “Youth of Today”, the Kunsthalle Bremen aims to conduct a radical inventory of the generation that will significantly decide how society and our coexistence will develop in the coming years.

Based on the premise that only young people can truly speak for their generation and develop ways to address the issues explored in this project, the exhibition aims to test new approaches in how the museum selects artistic positions and implements concepts of design, education and participation. All decisions related to concept development and implementation will be jointly made with a team of young curators. Through publicity measures and the presentation of new formats in social media which promote participation, the Kunsthalle Bremen hopes to generate greater awareness and visibility for the young perspectives.

Three main themes form the basis for encounter and joint conceptual development: body positivity and psychological health, digital culture and style(s), and community and political activism. In addition to artworks from the museum’s own collection, the exhibition will feature a new production by artist Anna Witt developed in collaboration with adolescents in Bremen, as well as documentary material on youth and counter-cultures from various Bremen archives. The organisers also plan to collaborate with Frac Lorraine in Metz (France) and produce a hybrid publication featuring print and digital elements.

Artistic director: Eva Fischer-Hausdorf
Curators: New Perceptions – der Jugendclub der Kunsthalle Bremen, Eva Fischer-Hausdorf und Jennifer Smailes
Participating artists: Fanny Gonella (Frac Lorraine), Sandra Kavasis, Dina Koper, Theresa Lange, Maxwell Alexandre, Aiden Arata, Berg&Høeg, Clément Cogitore, Felix d’Eon, Sam Durant, Valentin Goppel, Yu Ji, Shintaro Kagō, Mikhail Karikis, Shaquille-Aaron Keith, Mary Reid Kelly & Patrick Kelley, Bjørn Melhus, Toni Minge, Zanele Muholi, Edvard Munch, Hayat Murad, Ahmet Öğüt, Clara Rilke-Westhoff, Calida Rawes, Julika Rudelius, Adrienne Salinger, River Simmons, Wolfgang Tillmans, Sophie Utikal, Kehinde Wiley, Anna Witt, Tom Wood, Francesca Woodman, Faina Yunusova, Christina S. Zhu und Adlan Ziadi-Mansri

Exhibition, Kunsthalle Bremen, Bremen: 22 Apr. – 10 Sep. 2023