Artmix

GOSSIP - MATTERS HARD TO GRASP

Artmix-twin-exhibition by Noé Duboutay (he/they), Darja Linder (she/her), Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them), and Hannah Mevis (she/her)

Until the 14th century, “I’m going out with my gossip” was a common declaration used by predominantly assigned females at birth and femme identifying individuals to describe that they were meeting up with trusted others. In the context of that time, “gossip” described not only friends, but generally people who shared wisdom(s). The gossips were also responsible for passing on stories orally and thus made an important contribution to the well-being of the community.

With the rise of capitalism and the associated degradation of womxn’s knowledge, the meaning of the word changed towards informal chatter. Today, the term still embodies the negative connotation and the embedded devaluation of “femme” knowledge systems and labor.

In the spirit of the original meaning, the four artmix-artists Noé Duboutay (*1995 in Luxembourg; lives between Berlin and Luxembourg), Darja Linder (*1992 in Thälmanskij/Russia; lives and works in Saarbrücken), Sophia Lökenhoff (*1989 in Essen/Germany; lives and works in Berlin) and Hannah Mevis (*1989 in Heidelberg/Germany; lives and works between Saarbrücken and Brussels) are developing a twin-exhibition centered on the interweaving of memories and the political act of exchanging knowledge:

„We are artists, friends, and trusted gossips who engage with personal backgrounds, experiences, physicalities, and curiosities. We do this to counter the greed of toxic power structures with values that lie beyond the patriarchy. In the communal refusal to solidify, we offer multiple counter-positions that let us move towards the wisdom of forgotten stories. We invite you to witness our gathering(s) to immerse yourself in worlds of matters that are hard to grasp."

Openings of the twin-exhibitions:
2. May 2024 Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken (until 26. May)
3. May 2024 Cerlé City Luxemburg (until 30. June)

Artmix is an exchange program between the cities of Saarbrücken and Luxembourg. The cooperation partners of the project are the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken and from Luxembourg the Cercle Cité, Neimënster, as well as Casino Display. For the current edition, the jury decided in favor of the artists Noé Duboutay (he/they) for Luxembourg and Darja Linder (she/her) for Saarbrücken. Noé decided to include Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them) in the team and Darja selected Hannah Mevis (she/her).

More about Artmix

From February 19 to March 11, four artists will be guests at the Stadtgalerie as part of the Artmix exchange program with Luxembourg. For this edition, the jury has chosen Noé Duboutay (they/he) (LUX) and Darja Linder (DE). The two selected artists were each allowed to invite another artist. Noé Duboutay has chosen Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them) and Darja Linder is taking Hannah Mevis into the new Artmix artist team.

Together, the group will develop an exhibition during their joint stay in the form of a residency in Luxembourg and Saarbrücken. Setting up an open studio or workshop complements the project. During the exchange, the participants will work together for three weeks in Luxembourg (Kulturzentrum Abtei Neumünster) in December 2023 and now for three weeks in Saarbrücken (Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken) in February/March 2024.

The exhibitions will take place from May 2 to May 26, 2024 in the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken and from May 3 to June 30, 2024 in the Cercle Cité in Luxembourg. Casino Display is a network partner.

After the Artmix project was temporarily suspended due to the pandemic (11th edition: 2019), it will be back in Luxembourg in 2023 with new partners.

The project, which has been running since 2005, connects artists from the Greater Region.The aim is to promote regional networking between neighboring art scenes and various disciplines.The aim is to facilitate new forms of collaboration and professionalization.Artmix is an exchange program between the cities of Saarbrücken and Luxembourg.The cooperation partners of the project are the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken and from Luxembourg the Cercle Cité, Neimënster, as well as Casino Display.

Jury statement

At the jury meeting on October 23 2023 at the Cercle Cité, a six-member jury decided on this year's participants in the Artmix program: one artistic position each from Luxembourg and Saarbrücken.

The jury was made up of representatives of the art and culture scene from Luxembourg and Saarbrücken:

• Bob Seyler, neimënster/Luxembourg
• Alexandre Bugnet, neimënster/Luxembourg
• Charles Rouleau, Casino Display/Luxembourg
• Anastasia Chaguidouline, Artistic Director Cercle Cité/Luxembourg
• Leo Scheidt, freelance curator/Saarbrücken
• Katharina Ritter, M.A., Artistic Director Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken

After an extensive discussion, the jury decided in favor of Noé Duboutay (they/he) (LUX) and Darja Linder (DE). The two selected artists may each invite one other artist. Noé Duboutay's choice is Sophia Lökenhoff (they/them) and Darja Linder takes Hannah Mevis into the new Artmix artist team.

The aim of the jury was to select a group that would work together on an exhibition project with press and public relations work, documentation and an educational program. The establishment of an open studio or workshops during the residencies in Luxembourg and Saarbrücken will complement the project. This will enable new forms of collaboration and professionalization and promote regional networking between neighbouring art scenes and various specialist areas.

In their application, the selected participants responded to the open Artmix concept in a very convincing way in terms of content. The two artists work with very different media. At the same time, not only do their expressive and contemporary aesthetics resonate with each other, but also the themes they address, such as identity and social norms. 

All participants are currently at the beginning of their careers and can further professionalize themselves through the Artmix project. According to the jury, the very different artistic positions are convincing due to their examination of current socio-political issues and their aesthetic dimensions.

Noé Duboutay

Noé Duboutay (*1995 in Luxembourg) is a performance artist and author living in Berlin and Luxembourg. He performs with his body and voice, makes installations and props and writes scripts, poems and prose. He explores the entanglements of human identities with non-human entities and materialities. Noé Duboutay's artistic practice moves in the field of tension between bodily experiences and forms of embodiment that question what makes a body legible. Through fictional and autobiographical worlds of writing and movement, Noé Duboutay creates ways to find queer connections, allies and affinities and creates space for fragile uncertainty and softness.

Sophia Lökenhoff

Noé Duboutay has selected Sophia Lökenhoff. Sophia Lökenhoff (*1989 in Essen/Germany), a transdisciplinary performance artist from Berlin, creates immersive performances that deal with bodies, time dimensions, spaces, objects, sounds and their relationship to the invisible. Since 2020, Sophia Lökenhoff has been working on an ongoing performance cycle that explores the transitions of a fabulated figure called IAGA. IAGA coexists in sympoiesis with and through many bodies, exploring the remnants of the triple femme deities in contemporary knowledge systems. Special focus is placed on the regeneration of the magical sphere as queer, gender-fluid and non-binary. The format of the performances oscillates between workshop, play and ritual, inviting the audience to become part of a multi-layered experience.

Darja Linder

Darja Linder (*1992 in Thälmanskij/Russia) lives and works in Saarbrücken. Her work focuses on interacting with people and telling individual stories. She creates visual worlds that not only do justice to the person portrayed, but also address social and identity-political issues. She works predominantly as a painter, although she also uses other media to approach people and their stories: she writes, records conversations and takes photographs.

Hannah Mevis

Darja Linder has selected Hannah Mevis. Hannah Mevis (*1989 in Heidelberg/Germany) lives and works in Saarbrücken and Brussels. In her work, she explores the possibilities of visualizing physical perception and addressing it in the context of historical and socio-political events. She works contextually and conceptually, unbound by a specific medium, but always with an interest in the physical experiences of the viewer and likes to create situations in which people can get involved.

Artmix is an exchange program between the cities of Saarbrücken and Luxembourg. The cooperation partners of the project are the Stadtgalerie Saarbrücken and from Luxembourg the Cercle Cité, Neimënster, as well as Casino Display.

The Artmix project is supported by the Ministry of Education and Culture and Saartoto