OUR HOUSE: Our house, that’s the building of Museum Giersch der Goethe-Universität (MGGU) a villa with a history. Built in 1910 as a private residence, later the headquarters of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce, it has been a museum since 2000. The cozy, familiar atmosphere of the former living quarters has always delighted visitors. The intimate character of the house itself is now at the heart of the exhibition “OUR HOUSE. Artistic Positions on Living”.
Nothing is both as private and at the same time public as the way people live. Having our own four walls is a basic human need. In view of rising rents and a housing shortage, the question of fair, sustainable and good accommodation is once again the subject of urgent debate both in politics and society. Where and how do we live? How precarious are some housing situations and how can living accommodation be envisaged in the future? The participating artists raise these questions and at the same time relate them to the spatial setting of the museum building.
On display are works by contemporary artists such as Matthias Weischer and Susanne Kutter, but also historical positions such as those of the photographers Robert Haas (Vienna) and Inge Werth (Frankfurt). They deal with the many different facets of living, from the interior as an aesthetic stage to the precarious housing situation of refugees and the claustrophobic confinement of COVID-19 lockdowns. Berlin-based artist Jana Sophia Nolle is working on a new installation for the exhibition that gets to grips with the growing social inequality manifesting itself in different housing realities. The artist Jakob Sturm will also deal with the topic of housing and living space in Frankfurt in a new installation. The Swiss artist Zilla Leutenegger, who critically examines the villa via extensive artistic interventions, will play a special part.
The project is part of the “INTERIOR” collaboration, which alongside MGGU includes five other cultural institutions in the region: Art and Culture Foundation Opelvillen Rüsselsheim, Museum Sinclair-Haus in Bad Homburg, Kunstforum of TU Darmstadt, Kunsthaus Wiesbaden, and Nassauischer Kunstverein Wiesbaden.
You can read about the history of the houses of all INTERIOR cooperation partners at: https://interior-rheinmain.de/de
More OUR HOUSE events: https://www.mggu.de/veranstaltungen
