Title: Project Art Works brings radical visibility to the heart of documenta fifteen
Date: 10.08.2022
When documenta fifteen opened to press in early June 2022, Project Art Works had already begun a major creative public programme that sought to raise awareness, change institutional culture and nurture local neurodivergent artists, making them and their artistic contribution visible within this prestigious international contemporary art event I Kassel, Germany.
Over the last 6 weeks, the public, curatorial teams, students, families, care workers, and artists with and without support needs have collaborated in workshops and actions, within installations by Project Art Works in multiple sites across the city.
Works in the Fridericianum and the Stadtmuseum are exhibited alongside a new sound installation, exhibition and film by Project Art Works. The exhibition will continue to evolve as Project Art Works conducts conversations with individuals, audiences and groups to capture Cosmologies of Care that graphically articulate perspectives of formal and informal systems of care from around the world.
You can see artworks by supported studio communities located in and around the city including Atelier Goldstein, Frankfurt, in Hübner-Areal where Project Art Works have curated an exhibition of their work.
“For Atelier Goldstein, the cooperation with Project Art Works is exciting. The invitation to have our own space at documenta fifteen is of course a great opportunity to present Atelier Goldstein as an institution, but above all to introduce the participating artists to a broad audience.” Sven Fritz, Atelier Goldstein
Human connection and what it reveals about identity and how we view each other are explored within their work and their practice challenges paradigms of inclusion, responding to the functional and ethical structures of diligence and care. It respects self-determination and privacy whilst working towards greater visibility and understanding of neurodiversity in culture.
Project Art Works has a long history in the UK of collaborating with neurodivergent people, their families, audiences and cultural institutions, and were recognised for their work through the Film London Jarman Award 2020 and their Turner Prize nomination in 2021.
Their methodology is being applied in Germany for the first time. Over the summer, local artists Marcel and Antonio collaborated with Project Art Works in a series of workshops. Daniella, a support worker who has worked with Marcel and Antonio for over 20 years, reflected on this experience.
“Thank you for making Marcel and Antonio more visible. So that all the world can see them.
They both feel more visible and effective right now.”
Working closely with Documenta gGmbH Project Art Works has ensured that artist passes were provided for disabled participants of workshops. Daniella goes onto to describe how this has impacted on Marcel and Antonio sense of their worth and how the experience has validated their contribution to culture.
“Marcel and Antonio have little money, which means that this kind of value alone is significant for them. Priceless, however, is the perception that they are now artists and can visit Documenta whenever they want. They will always find a companion who understands them and will go with them. This summer will be an unforgettable summer for them. Full of new encounters, experiences and adventures”.
Kate Adams, CEO/Artist Director, Project Art Works says
“documenta fifteen is about people; radical and inclusive art and action; new propositions for living, food production, learning, ecology, art and everything! Our purpose here is to contribute and collaborate in this extraordinary, global and uniquely participatory event.
We are facilitating personalised residencies and encounters between nuerodiverse communities within our installation spaces in multiple venues across the city ensuring that people are visible, present and represented on their own terms.’
About Project Art Works
Project Art Works are a collective of neurodiverse artists and activists based in Hastings, UK.
The collective interrogates and promotes creative and sustainable models of artist development and care through practice-based research, productions, and partnerships. The work of neurodiverse artists is disseminated via social media, digital platforms, and cultural and care collaborations nationally and internationally. Through aspirational planning, free training, and advocacy, families and caregivers are given opportunities to utilise their knowledge and skills to better navigate and harness health and social care systems and explore bespoke models of care that improve their lives.
Press Contacts
Jessica Courtney Bennett, Communication and Projects Manager, Project Art Works
[email protected]
+44 1424 423555
www.projectartworks.org
https://www.instagram.com/projectartworks/
https://www.facebook.com/projectartworks
https://twitter.com/ProjectArtWorks
https://vimeo.com/projectartworks
About documenta fifteen
documenta fifteen takes place from June 18 to September 25, 2022, under the Artistic Direction of ruangrupa at various venues in Kassel, Germany. The Jakarta-based artists’ collective has built the foundation of documenta’s fifteenth edition on the core values and ideas of lumbung, the Indonesian term for a communal rice barn. lumbung as an artistic and economic model is rooted in principles such as collectivity, communal resource sharing, and equal allocation and is embodied in all parts of the collaboration and the exhibition. lumbung is the concrete practice adopted by ruangrupa and the Artistic Team, lumbung members and lumbung artists and all participants on the path towards documenta fifteen in 2022 and beyond.
Further information
www.atelier-goldstein.de
The term neurodiversity, composed of neurology and diversity, has been forming into a concept and as a movement based on the fundamental assumption of neurological diversity and the impact of this diversity on perceptual processes, behavioural patterns, and forms of representation.
Please download the press pack:
https://projectartworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Project-Art-Works-press-pack-2022.pdf
Press Images and credits can be found here:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/h3sofn14bextdgq/AACeivE6ZcENGPMvn-ieydeWa?dl=0
See our programme of activity planned here:
https://projectartworks.org/documenta-fifteen-september-programme/