Der Reiniger, die Katze und der Mond. Eine Ausstellung mit dem Künstlerinnenkollektiv U5

In the exhibition “The Cleaner, the Cat, and the Moon“, the Swiss artist collective U5, invited by curators Helene Romakin and Lea Schleiffenbaum, intermingles objects from the museum’s collection with miniatures, sculptures, ceramics, and everyday items from their own studio. U5 deliberately works away from large historical interpretations, focusing instead on everyday anecdotes, personal memories, and youthful longings.

What stories are told and which are forgotten? How do our personal memories and perceptions shape the way we view objects? At the entrance, U5 creates a spatial installation where collection objects and artworks blend together through forms and colors. The arrangement is accompanied by an 89-piece tarot card set, the “Tarot of Small Things”. Instead of addressing large, abstract life questions, these cards focus on the everyday and the practical.

Among the museum objects that caught the artists’ attention is a box of slides from a GDR Antarctic expedition. These images tell the story of the Georg-Forster Station, whose final expedition team began its service in October 1989, just before the fall of the Berlin Wall. The images inspired U5 to create several artistic works: the video piece 1985, the series 6 Flags: Pictures from Antarctica, and six new Recreation Areas.

A space emerges that continually generates narratives and connections, describing transformation as an ongoing blend of continuity and change. The artists invite the audience on a humorous, critically feminist journey that conjures the magic of everyday life through a playful interplay of association and memory.

The Museum of Utopia and Everyday Culture is committed to exploring GDR everyday culture and art not just through scientific research and contextualization, but also by critically examining current memory discourses through artistic means. For several years, the museum has regularly invited artists to engage creatively with its collections and enrich the discourse.

U5 (Open in new tab) is an artist collective founded in 2007. Their artistic work is diverse, with media and materials chosen based on interest and urgency. U5 explores the characteristics of collective modes of action and perception in artistic production, exhibitions, and scientific projects.

Lea Schleiffenbaum is an art historian and independent curator. She realizes her own projects and exhibitions in public spaces, among others for the New Commissioners. Helene Romakin is a cultural scientist, independent curator, and author. In 2023, she successfully completed her doctoral thesis on the Anthropocene and storytelling at ETH Zurich.

“The Cleaner, the Cat, and the Moon” is a continuation of the exhibition “I love Clark,” which was previously shown at the Brandenburg Art Association in Potsdam earlier this year.

An exhibition by the Museum of Utopia and Everyday Culture in collaboration with the artist collective U5. Curated by Helene Romakin and Lea Schleiffenbaum. With support from the Swiss Cultural Foundation Pro Helvetia and GeWi – Eisenhüttenstädter Building Management GmbH.

Ort
Erich - Weinert - Allee 3
15890 Eisenhüttenstadt