Elefantchen // Kadji Elisabeth

In the organizer's words:

"A glance at Mrs. Spiegel's round head, which she had to tilt down a little to greet her, revealed something previously unknown to Elefantchen. Because what she saw was herself! Elefantchen had never really seen herself before. She knew she was an elephant because she had a trunk that she could use when playing in the mud baths to first slowly suck up the water and then quickly spray it all around her in a flash. Elefantchen always had the most fun with this. She also knew that she had no tusks because, unlike her mother, she couldn't carry heavy things with them. And she also knew that she was small, at least compared to the other, older elephant children. Nevertheless, it was the first time that Elefantchen was able to get a real picture of herself. She saw her face, her ears, her upper body, her little legs, her feet [...]"

- from "Frau Spiegel" (in Elefantchen, 2025)

In "Elefantchen", Kadji Elisabeth tells the story of a young elephant and her journey of discovery, in which the protagonist experiences many things for the first time. The exhibition is based on the children's book of the same name, which the artist and author is showing for the first time at the Schaustelle Essen construction site in March 2025 alongside original drawings and installations. At the same time, the space offers an opportunity to immerse oneself in the narrative and refers to autobiographical backgrounds, the story of its creation and her work with objects/sculptural elements. For the opening, she also invites you to a reading of the story, to which both children and adults are welcome.

Kadji Elisabeth (*2001 in Valencia, Spain) has been studying at the Folkwang University of the Arts since 2021 and is currently based in Essen. She mainly works with drawing, illustration and graphic narrative art, as well as with the medium of film. In terms of content, her work often revolves around themes such as origin, family and childhood.