16 July 2020
JUNGE AKADEMIE and innogy Stiftung grant four fellowships
Four artists-in-residence have been selected for the 2020 programmes of VISIT, JUNGE AKADEMIE of the Akademie der Künste, and innogy Stiftung (iS). A jury awarded one grant on the theme of Human-Machine, part of the artist-in-residence programme at the Akademie der Künste, as well as three fellowships on the topic of Energy, supported by the foundation innogy Stiftung. A grant of 20,000 euros was awarded to each of the following:
• Sahej Rahal, JUNGE AKADEMIE fellow, Human-Machine
• Henrike Naumann, iS fellow, Energy
• Marianna Christofides, iS fellow, Energy
• and the duo Ben Greber and Bram Kuypers, iS fellows, Energy
The decision was made by a jury consisting of Adrian Piper (artist and philosopher, Akademie der Künste member), Johannes Odenthal (programme officer, Akademie der Künste), Anna Fricke (curator, Museum Folkwang Essen), Inke Arns (director, Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund) and Harald Welzer (sociologist and director, Stiftung FuturZwei).
More than 400 international applicants responded to the open call on the themes of Human-Machine and Energy and therefore a variety of artistic positions were evaluated. “The selection of the four projects reflects this diversity,” says Daniela Berglehn, responsible for VISIT at innogy Stiftung. Clara Herrmann, programme director of JUNGE AKADEMIE, adds: “The critical and creative approaches illustrate and negotiate new models of utopias, ethics, and alternate narratives for society, all of which promise compelling works of art and discussions.”
About the selected artists:
Sahej Rahal (Mumbai/IN) uses his art to develop alternative mythologies in the form of stories, sculptures, performances, films, paintings, and AI programmes that question the narratives influencing and shaping our reality. His Citizen Strange project also explores the limits of the non-human—from its mythical relationship to demons and future avatars of algorithmic intelligence.
Henrike Naumann (Berlin/D) often examines sociopolitical issues in her installations. In her project Power Cuts, she intends to combine the energy blackouts of 1990s Cuba with the fashion history of power dressing in the USA during the 1970s and 1980s.
Marianna Christofides (Nicosia/CY) is a filmmaker and artistic researcher from Nicosia. She currently lives and works in Berlin. Her work Strung to Breaking Point – a constellation of 16-mm film, sound, performance, and text – will examine energy (ἐν-έργον/in progress) as an ethic of multiple forces.
Ben Greber (Berlin/D) and Bram Kuypers (Arnheim/NL) are concerned with utopias of mobility. The starting point for their work A Power Remains is the former Transrapid test track, which has remained abandoned in Emsland since the project ended in 2011. History has many at times successful but often unsuccessful technological innovations that would change the way we travel in the future.
The results will be presented in various accompanying programmes after the fellowships have ended.
More about the program and the open call: https://www.adk.de/en/press/press-releases.htm?we_objectID=60820
Contact JUNGE AKADEMIE: Clara Herrmann, Director Junge Akademie
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10557 Berlin, T +49(0)30 200 57-2163, herrmann@adk.de, www.adk.de/jungeakademie
Contact VISIT: Daniela Berglehn, Programme Director VISIT innogy Stiftung für Energie und Gesellschaft gGmbH, Opernplatz 1, 45128 Essen,
T +49 (0)201 12 15 505, Daniela.Berglehn@innogy.com, www.visit.innogy-stiftung.com