Nimmersatt

NIMMERSATT? Imagining Society without GrowthHuman activity has a decisive influence on the environment. The acutely privileged Global North is largely of the opinion that there is no other option thanthat of growth. Yet growth is finite, processes have gotout of balance, are developed on the basis of social inequality and the exploitation of nature. This makesit imperative for us to diverge from existing paths, to continuously abandon customary maxims regard asself-evident, and to engage in a discussion about thedogma of more and more, further and further.Wealth and the constant growth of capital alonecannot deliver on the promise of happiness. What is necessary is to reconsider what has been valid to date and to act in a spirit of community. What can take the place of the economic and social models that haveprevailed to date? How can renunciation become an amatter of future-oriented routine? What regional and global measures can provide a new resource and climate-friendly definition of consumption, and whatnew ideas in the sense of creative resourcefulnesscan be introduced into society? Can we imagine new objectives concerning to communal life, can we change our habits and act individually and jointly? The group exhibition “Nimmersatt? ImaginingSociety without Growth” takes as its point of departurethe current state of our environment and the prevailingsocial conditions. In the face of mutually determiningevents and phenomena, such as social inequality, climate changes, illness, war, flight and xenophobia, theexhibition uses the widespread lack of orientation and helplelessness so as to highlight and explore by artisticmeans concrete visions and also utopias of a societybeyond growth maxims. In an awareness of the impossibility of offering a single solution, this vacuum is transformed into a space for reflecting on possible future scenarios in a way that is both critical-substantive and also enjoyably fantastic. “Nimmersatt?” extends over three institutions in Münster: Kunsthalle Münster, LWL-Museum FürKunst und Kultur and Westfälischer Kunstverein. At allthree venues, artists will confront the imminent collapse of dominant social systems using different artistic media and approaches. In addition to a series of works on loan, the institutions will present several new productions that are the fruits of dialogue and arebeing shown here for the very first time.

Curated by: Merle Radtke, Kristina Scepanski, Marianne Wagner