The Cute Escape. Empathie, Empowerment, Empfindsamkeit
In the organizer's words:
Delicate colors, playful motifs, huge comic eyes and cute figures: the aesthetics of cuteness are conquering contemporary art. But what is behind the widespread phenomenon of "cute art"? Can art use soft forms to express harsh criticism? When does affection become political - or even radical? Is escapism an act of self-care or denial? And what happens when art no longer shocks, but comforts and caresses?
One thing is certain, cuteness knows no boundaries, its language is understood the world over. In the international exhibition The Cute Escape, over 20 artists from Belgium, Bulgaria, China, Germany, Japan, Kuwait, Luxembourg, Austria, Scotland and the USA show that an aesthetic of cuteness and affection has established itself in contemporary art, pursuing a wide variety of formal, intellectual and political objectives.
Like Alice in Wonderland falling down the rabbit hole, sculptures, installations, videos, paintings and photographs lead us into a world of wondrous creatures, fascinating colors and empathetic moments within the exhibition. Analog and digital, pop culture and net culture meet there. It is a world in which friendship and community are celebrated, fantasy and care merge, old toys take on new and surprising meanings and even supposed kitsch seduces us into collective wonder.
The Cute Escape explores this multifaceted "new cuteness". What strategies do artists develop to mediate between the need for safety and security and the critical reflection of social challenges and the confrontation with pressing issues of our time? Historical influences and traditions help us to better understand the development of this aesthetic. Cuteness and compliance have long since ceased to stand only for weakness or infantility; rather, they have proven to be powerful means of expression for empowerment. Empathy and sensitivity become strengths in the pursuit of humanity.
The childlike, feminine and popular: A dinosaur that sings karaoke, caves made of fabric and fur that invite you to hide. Cuddly animals and toys that touch our inner child. Such motifs have a soothing effect in a time characterized by democratic crises, global warming and nationalism, and in which the longing for community and solidarity is growing.
Since the 20th century, cultural self-image has been characterized by avant-gardism and coolness - elitist and unapproachable. Emotional restraint was a sign of strength, while vulnerability and sensitivity were dismissed as weakness. "Cute Art" marks a paradigm shift: towards caring and responsibility. The artists of The Cute Escape show that the delicate and soft can also embody courage and resistance - an aesthetic that comforts while creating new spaces for care and empowerment.
With works by
Neven Allgeier, Jacob Samuel Beck, Mona Broschár, Niclas Castello, Christa Dichgans, Famed, Harry Hachmeister, Hypernormalisa, Zsófia Keresztes, Lena Kuzmich, Rachel Maclean, Tomoko Nagai, Nhozagri, Christiane Peschek, Monira Al Qadiri, Mary-Audrey Ramirez, Ayako Rokkaku, Theresa Rothe, Mark Ryden, Jamie Scholnick, Josefine Schulz, Nina Vandeweghe, Marta Vovk and others.a.
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