Installation
16.8.-22.9.2024
Salzlager, Kokerei Zollverein

An Exhibition in Search of Past and Future Utopias

It is only through a human perspective that nature becomes a landscape into which meanings may be inscribed. Past events continue to have an effect, and landscapes can embody memories, fears or longings.

Since 2001, The Palace of Projects by the internationally renowned artist couple Ilya & Emilia Kabakov has been installed in the Salzlager (salt warehouse) of the UNESO world heritage site Zeche Zollverein, a preserved coal mine and industrial processing complex. In loose correspondence with this project, the exhibition Landscapes of an Ongoing Past shows historical and contemporary works by artists from former socialist Eastern Europe, which examine landscapes that are either still developing or in the process of disappearing. They explore questions of artisanal and industrial production, explore traces of unrealized utopias or reflect on the relationship between architecture and nature. With the work of the representative of the Ukrainian avant-garde Fedir Tetianych (who died in 2007 in Kiev), the exhibition not only addresses the conditions of artistic production at the time of the Soviet Union, but also juxtaposes the Palace of Projects with another historical design for a futuristic utopia.

In commenting on the post-industrial landscapes of the Ruhr region, Landscapes of an Ongoing Past uses all the means available to art - sometimes seductive, sometimes disturbing - to explore the state of the present between decay and hope.

An exhibition conceived by Urbane Künste Ruhr in cooperation with the Zollverein Foundation for Ruhrtriennale. "The Palace of Projects" is the property of the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture and is on permanent loan to the Zollverein Foundation.

Mit Arbeiten von Marta Dyachenko, Uli Golub, Jana Gunstheimer, Nikita Kadan, Zhanna Kadyrova, Nino Kvrivishvili, Yuri Yefanov, Driant Zeneli und einem Modell nach Fedir Tetianych (1942-2007) realisiert von Bögdana Kosmina & Bogdan Tetianych sowie einem digitalen Projekt von Pixelated Realities

Im Kinopavillon: Tekla Aslanishvili, Anna Daučíková, Sven Johne, Dana Kavelina, ruїns collective, Emilija Škarnulytė, Borjana Ventzislavova

  • The image shows the opening of the exhibition "Landscapes of an Ongoing Past" by Urbane Künste Ruhr as part of the Ruhrtriennale 2024. The event takes place in the Salt Warehouse of the Zollverein Coking Plant in Essen. A large crowd has gathered to listen to the speeches and presentations. In the background, parts of the exhibition and the impressive architecture of the space are visible. The atmosphere is lively and engaged as visitors observe the artworks and listen to the speakers.
    Opening of the exhibition ‘Landscapes of an Ongoing Past’ by Urbane Künste Ruhr as part of the Ruhrtriennale 2024 © Silke Briel
  • Eine Person blickt auf die Installation Second Hand von Zhanna Kadyrova
    © Silke Briel
  • Zwei Personen blicken auf die Installation Wool handwoven tapestry von Nino Kvrivishvili
    © Silke Briel
  • Publikum bei der Ausstellungseröffnung von Landscapes of an Ongoing Past
    © Silke Briel
  • Eröffnung der Ausstellung Landscapes of an Ongoing Past
    © Silke Briel
  • „How a society deals with its resources is reflected in the infrastructures it develops. As built forms, these constitute a kind of landscape. Utopian ideas emerge within these landscapes, manifesting themselves in the built structures or lingering in drawings and stories.“
    Marta Dyachenko

    Workshops

    The exhibition will be accompanied by a varied programme. In workshops, children, young people and adults will have the opportunity to engage intensively with the works and themes of the exhibition, try out different working techniques themselves and share their experiences with other workshop participants.

    In guided tours, the curators Alisha Raissa Danscher, Tatiana Kochubinska and Yevheniia Moliar and our trained education team provide an insight into the themes and the development of the exhibition and invite visitors to explore it together.

    Participation in workshops and guided tours is free of charge.

    Visit

    • Opening hours

      16th Aug – 22nd Sept
      Wed–Sun 12 p.m. – 7 p.m.

    • Installation Opening
    • Cast

    Directions and arrival

    Salzlager, Kokerei Zollverein
    Heinrich-Imig-Straße 11
    45141 Essen

  • Public transport and KombiTicket
  • Directions
  • Travelling by bike
  • Accessibility at the venue

  • Access
  • Accessible toilets
  • Accessible parking
  • Dates and Tickets
    August