Part of Conditions of Political Choreography
Antje Majewski is inspired by ancient agriculture and its spread from the Fertile Crescent to Germany, the story of Jacob and Esau, the history of wheat, and the linguistic connections between Afro-asiatic languages (i.e. Arabic, Hebrew, Somali, Amharic, Hausa, Oromo, Tamazight). These interests are manifested in Majewski’s Landscape Painting, an installation comprised of a video, a poem, and a large painting made collaboratively with people based in or around Tel Aviv whose names correspond to geographic, natural and cosmic elements, such as valleys, fields, trees, flowers, the sun and the moon, etc. The deep connections to the land of Israelis, Palestinians, and other local groups are often expressed through the poetry of their names. By paralleling these eponymous metaphors with visual counterparts, Majewski literally mirrors back to us a landscape representational of our collective sense of place.
Music: Katrin Vellrath Singers: Alla Vasilevitsky – soprano, Bavat Marom – mezzo soprano, Alexey Kanunikov – baritone
Antje Majewski (b.1968 in Germany, lives in Berlin) is an artist who works with painting, video, texts, and performances to explore anthropological and philosophical questions. Her recent work questions the ownership of territories and plants and explores alternative knowledge systems and storytelling. She studied art history, history, and philosophy in Cologne, Berlin, and Florence from 1987 to 1995, and has been professor of painting at Muthesius Kunsthochschule in Kiel, Germany since 2011. Majewski often collaborates with other artists and ecological and urban groups and has also curated exhibitions. Important presentations of her artwork include, among others, exhibitions at Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw, PL (2016); Museum Abteiberg, Möchengladbach (2015); neugerriemschneider, Berlin (2015, 2011 etc.); Muzeum Sztuki, Łódz (2014); Pola Magnetyczne, Warsaw (2014); Gedenkstätte Ravensbrück, Fürstenberg/Havel (2014); Deutsche Bank Kunsthalle, Berlin (2013); Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt am Main (2013); Heidelberger Kunstverein, Heidelberg (2013); Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin (2012); Villa Romana, Florence (2012); Weltkulturen Museum, Frankfurt am Main (2012); Kunsthaus Graz, Graz (2011); and Salzburger Kunstverein, Salzburg (2008).