It is only through a human perspective that nature becomes a landscape into which meanings may be inscribed. Past events continue to have an effect, and landscapes can embody memories, fears or longings.
Since 2001, The Palace of Projects by the internationally renowned artist couple Ilya & Emilia Kabakov has been installed in the Salzlager (salt warehouse) of the UNESO world heritage site Zeche Zollverein, a preserved coal mine and industrial processing complex. In loose correspondence with this project, the exhibition Landscapes of an Ongoing Past shows historical and contemporary works by artists from former socialist Eastern Europe, which examine landscapes that are either still developing or in the process of disappearing. They explore questions of artisanal and industrial production, explore traces of unrealized utopias or reflect on the relationship between architecture and nature. With the work of the representative of the Ukrainian avant-garde Fedir Tetianych (who died in 2007 in Kiev), the exhibition not only addresses the conditions of artistic production at the time of the Soviet Union, but also juxtaposes the The Palace of Projects with another historical design for a futuristic utopia.
In commenting on the post-industrial landscapes of the Ruhr region, Landscapes of an Ongoing Past uses all the means available to art - sometimes seductive, sometimes disturbing - to explore the state of the present between decay and hope.
An exhibition conceived by Urbane Künste Ruhr in cooperation with the Zollverein Foundation for the Ruhrtriennale 2024. The Palace of Projects is the property of the Stiftung Industriedenkmalpflege und Geschichtskultur and is on permanent loan to the Zollverein Foundation.
- Info
With works by Marta Dyachenko, Uli Golub, Jana Gunstheimer, Nikita Kadan, Zhanna Kadyrova, Nino Kvrivishvili, Yuri Yefanov, Driant Zeneli and a model after Fedir Tetianych (1942-2007) realised by Bögdana Kosmina & Bogdan Tetianych as well as a digital project by Pixelated Realities
At the Kinopavillon: Tekla Aslanishvili, Anna Daučíková, Sven Johne, Dana Kavelina, ruїns collective, Emilija Škarnulytė, Borjana Ventzislavova
- Programme
Discussion formats with the participating artists take place around the opening and finissage. In guided tours of the exhibition, the curators will provide insights into the themes and the development of the exhibition. The guided tours are offered in various languages on Sundays. Workshops for children, young people and adults take place on Thursdays and Saturdays.
Participation in the accompanying programme is free of charge. Registration now open!- Talks
Talks on the exhibition with participating artists and experts will take place around the opening and finissage.
Address: Boiler House, UNESCO-Welterbe Zollverein, Gelsenkirchener Str. 181, Essen
- Opening
Friday, 16.8. 4 pm, admission from 3 pm
With Prof Heinrich Theodor Grütter, Member of the Executive Board of the Zollverein Foundation and Director of the Ruhr Museum Essen, Ivo Van Hove, Artistic Director of the Ruhrtriennale and Britta Peters, Artistic Director of Urbane Künste Ruhr.
- Hours
16.8.—22.9.
Wed—Sun
12—7 pm
- Address
Salzlager, UNESCO-Welterbe Zollverein
Heinrich-Imig-Straße 11
45141 Essen
Events
Weaving Connections: Textile Industry and Crafts
When we talk about industry in an industrialized region, we often think of metalworking and coal mining, but light industry – such as textile manufacturing, one of the oldest commercial sectors – also shapes social and economic relations. During the talk, we will explore the entanglements between industrial history, politics, art and
private life.
With Alisha Raissa Danscher, Anna Daučíková, Nino Kvrivishvili and Cate Lartey. The talks on the themes of the exhibition are moderated by Natalia Matsenko and will be in English. Register now
Landscapes of Now and Tomorrow: Industry and Transformation
The Ruhr area and the Ukrainian Donbas – as two characteristic areas for heavy industry – share many similarities in their past. While the industrial landscape of the Ruhr region is being transformed, for the Donbas, the “post-industrial” will inevitably be intertwined with a time after the current war and this is still a future with an uncertain outcome. We will talk about the transformation of these regions and shed light on the visions and realities of these industrial landscapes.
With Tatiana Kochubinska, Kateryna Iakovlenko and Prof. Heinrich Theodor Grütter. The talks on the themes of the exhibition are moderated by Natalia Matsenko and will be in English. Register now
Imagining the Utopian Landscape
In the 19th and 20th century, numerous utopian concepts and projects for a better world emerged in architecture and art. How are past and present utopias intertwined with today’s reality and how are they reflected in the works of the exhibiting artists?
With Marta Dyachenko, Julia Lerch-Zajączkowska, Yuri Yefanov and Driant Zeneli. The talks on the themes of the exhibition are moderated by Natalia Matsenko and will be in English. Register now
Caring for Cultural Heritage: Fragility and Preservation
To care means to be attentive and to attach importance to something. We talk about the ways to care for and preserve a cultural heritage, about destruction and rescue in times of war and the relationship between art and architecture in public space under different conditions.
With Nikita Kadan, Alik Kadoum, Yevheniia Moliar and Britta Peters. The talks on the themes of the exhibition are moderated by Natalia Matsenko and will be in English. Register now
Landscapes of an Ongoing Past
Opening: Landscapes of an Ongoing Past
The exhibition will open on Friday, 16.8. at 4 pm. Admission is already possible from 3 pm.
With Prof Heinrich Theodor Grütter, Member of the Executive Board of the Zollverein Foundation and Director of the Ruhr Museum Essen, Ivo Van Hove, Artistic Director of the Ruhrtriennale and Britta Peters, Artistic Director of Urbane Künste Ruhr. The speeches will be held in German and will be translated into DGS.
