Adults, Workshop, Discussion

Talk: Art Mediation in Community (in German and English)
sobat-sobat as guest in the forest room (Waldraum)

With Alice Escher, Theseas Efstathopoulos and Viviane Tabach (art mediators of documenta fifteen), moderation: Daniela Bystron (curator for outreach, Brücke Museum)

The Brücke group of artists formed in 1905 as an artistic community and came to the public with their vision of change. We take up the theme of community in this talk: What conditions are needed for working as a collective? Which connections are actually communities of purpose, which are settled in utopia?

We will span an arc from the concrete experiences of “lumbung” at documenta fifteen to the current working conditions in the cultural field. We ask about potentials and pitfalls of collective working inside, outside, or parallel to the institution. The art mediators at documenta fifteen, called sobat-sobat, conceived during the exhibition a critical publication titled ‘Ever Been Friendzoned by an Institution?’.

Composed of texts, illustrations and interviews, they approach their experience of learning with ruangrupa, working in-between the Education Department and the documenta gGmbH, and speaking to the visitors, locals and artists. The book raises the question: in a context segmented by institutional layers, who can we be friends with?

The talk aims to open up reflections on art mediation, shedding light on topics such as institutionalized friendship, collective values and sustainability of the sobat-sobat practices.

Viviane Tabach is a Brazilian curator and art mediator based in Berlin. Her work centers on educational methods within curatorial and artistic practices. Viviane’s research delves into what makes art institutions effective learning spaces and how the public can be better integrated into this context. Alice Escher is a Berlin based media artist, art mediator and is part of the feminist performance collective hannsjana. Thesea Efstathopoulos is Cypriot artist, art mediator and gardener based in Berlin. Their interdisciplinary practice includes print-making, sculpture and hosting workshops.

The Forest Room is a space for exchange, production, and reflection in the garden of the Brücke Museum. Designed as a glass pavilion by the architecture and art collective ConstructLab, it offers a special art and nature experience.


Public events are free with museum ticket. No pre-registration is necessary.

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