Friederike Fast Books

In this exploration, the artistic director of MARTa Herford, Jan Hoet, delves into the concept of heroes within art and society, examining representations from the late 19th century to today. He highlights the evolving status of the artist as a hero and the visual culture surrounding heroification across various eras and themes. Drawing from his extensive experience in curating exhibitions, Hoet offers a personal perspective on his own “heroes” who have influenced him over the past 30 years. By utilizing his expertise, he presents a diverse array of figures, including artists, musicians, writers, and filmmakers, encouraging a fresh examination of heroism. This work serves as both a reflection on historical art and a commentary on contemporary practices. Featured artists include Marina Abramovic, Richard Avedon, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Louise Bourgeois, Anselm Kiefer, Cindy Sherman, and Andy Warhol, among others. The book invites readers to reconsider the notion of heroism through the lens of artistic expression, showcasing a rich tapestry of cultural icons and their impact on the art world.

Als Schlüsseltechnologie des 21. Jahrhunderts ist Künstliche Intelligenz (KI) längst in der Mitte der Gesellschaft angekommen. In Verbindung mit anderen wissenschaftlichen Methoden nimmt die Technologie bereits heute schon Einfluss auf politische, wirtschaftliche und soziale Prozesse. Flankiert von weiterführenden Essays aus verschiedenen wissenschaftlichen Disziplinen stellt diese Publikation neun internationale künstlerische Positionen vor, die die komplexen gesellschaftlichen Zusammenhänge von KI reflektieren und begreifbar machen. Der Begriff »SHIFT« (engl. shift „verschieben“, „Übergang“, „Wechsel“) unterstreicht dabei die These, dass diese Digitaltechnologie nachhaltig die Idee von einer Gemeinschaft verändert, in der Mensch, Natur und Technik in einem idealerweise kooperativen Verhältnis zueinander stehen.

Hardly any other emotion has such a profound effect on the person concerned as shame: our face turns red, we become lost for words, or would simply love to sink into the ground.0Despite all the cultural differences, shame still affects almost every individual. Indeed, given the broad dissemination of nude images in the media, the subject appears more topical than ever. But can we actually diagnose a lowering of the shame threshold, or are we, on the contrary, observing an escalation of tabooisation? With humorous but also sensitive and moving contributions, the exhibition explores this familiar but inscrutable phenomenon.00Exhibition: Marta Herford - Museum for Art, Architecture, Design, Herford, Germany (04.03.-04.06.2017).

The young Berlin designers Oliver Vogt and Hermann Weizenegger already enjoy international renown--prototypes of their furniture have made their way to museums including the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Beyond their original products and projects, Vogt & Weizenegger have also started an extraordinarily exciting dialogue on theory. Their ideas led to the highly respected project DIM--The Imaginary Factory, a collaboration with a Berlin workshop for the blind. Design Matrix documents a new project for a wider audience, the transformation of a museum, MARTa Herford, into a laboratory where design can be experienced and understood in all of its dimensions, from production to presentation to practical application and consumption. Georg-Christof Bertsch has said that one of V+W's most pressing motifs is the integration of lots of people in a continuous game which is such fun that no one wants to leave, and Design Matrix does just that

Stefanie Trojan intervenes in everyday situations and deliberately clashes with people's patterns of reality, habits, and expectations. Yet instead of a spectacular action, this link with life mostly takes place in the form of a simple, subversive act or question which she uses to confront her counterpart. The artist, a trained sculptor, creates not only interpersonal situations, but also images with lasting impact.