Exhibition: Animacies

With works by Bekhbaatar Enkhtur, Shivanji Lal, Mai Ling, Chathuri Nissansala, Elia Nurvista, Ashfika Rahman, Jennifer Tee.

The group exhibition Animacies explores how relationships between Europe and Asia can be re-imagined and narrated from new perspectives. Through installation, painting and photography, the artists challenge Western systems of classification and develop alternative perspectives on history, community and cultural identity. At the heart of the exhibition lies the concept of animacy, which challenges the common distinction between the animate and the inanimate. It assumes that objects and materials also possess a form of vitality and agency. Using raw materials, textiles and artefacts, the exhibition demonstrates how materials help shape social structures, economic relationships and spiritual beliefs.

Particular attention is given to perspectives from regions that are less visible in global discourse, including Bangladesh, Indonesia, Mongolia and the Philippines, as well as the Indian diaspora in the Fiji Islands. These are understood as independent starting points for forms of knowledge and relationships.