For the launch of the first issue of Synchron Magazine, eight artists were invited to show their work at Trauma Bar and Kino. This exhibition is a continuation of their contributions published in the magazine issue. The two formats – magazine and exhibition – extend each other. Mysticism, magic, spirituality and individual interpretations act as links between the different contributions. For this reason, the first issue of the magazine and the exhibition share the same title: Liminal Bridges.
Image above: Claire Barrow, The Bottom, 2022, mixed media, 103 x 105 cm
For the exhibition, Trauma Bar and Cinema is transformed into a labyrinth that invites visitors to explore the different levels of the place. The works shown oscillate between different media and are always connected by the element of liminality, for which all artists have found their own interpretation in advance.
Alicia Gladston transforms one room into a metal construct inspired by the Rosicrucian gardens of the King and Queen of Bohemia, while other rooms feature installations by Ben Sang, Kay Yoon and Adam Varab. Johannes Farfsing‘s lacquered wooden reliefs with echoes of the carnival traditions of southern Swiss valleys, as well as Sal Salandra‘s embroideries, in which he combines motifs of BDSM practices with cultural symbolism, invite the audience to immerse themselves in other worlds. Claire Barrow explores the subconscious by designing fantastic realms in her paintings. Chiu Laozhi‘s sculpture, created using traditional Chinese techniques, conveys the transcendent meaning of the dragon symbol and its associated Daoist teachings.
The term liminality was coined in the early 20th century by the French ethnologist Arnold van Gennep and later made the subject of in-depth research by the anthropologist Victor Turner:
“In anthropology, liminality (from the Latin word līmen, meaning “a threshold”) is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the intermediate stage of a rite of passage. In this, participants are no longer in the initial stage but have not yet begun the transition to the stage they will reach at the completion of the rite. During the liminal stage of a rite, “participants stand at the threshold” between their previous way of structuring their identity, time or community, and a new way of completing the rite.”
Victor Turner, 1974
Another possible level of meaning for the title comes from the fact that Liminal Bridges is based on a book that players can read in Bethesda Studio’s legendary video game Skyrim. It describes a magical procedure that opens the portal to Oblivion, as well as a rite for making a magical stone that stores arcane power. The curator refers to the concept of liminality as a state of transformation that artists enter during the process of artistic creation. The event at Trauma Bar and Cinema builds a bridge to their otherworldly metaphysical worlds.
Text: Lea Kloepel
The exhibition is curated by Synchron Magazine
WHEN?
Saturday, 19. February to Saturday, 19. March 2022
WHERE?
Trauma Bar und Kino
Heidestraße 50, 10557 Berlin-Tiergarten
COSTS?
Tickets: 10 Euro > www.ra.co/clubs/157011/events
The exhibition can be visited during the accompanying events or by personal appointment – the exact dates can be found on the website:
More about the magazine:
Corona regulation: Participation is only possible for vaccinated and recovered guests.
