To mark the 100th anniversary of Thomas Mann’s novel The Magic Mountain, British artist and poet Heather Phillipson is transforming the Kunsthalle St. Annen into a walk-in work of art from 13 September 2024. For her solo exhibition, she draws significant inspiration from the motif of time, which plays a central role in The Magic Mountain.
Image above: Heather Phillipson, artist’s digital collage, 2024, image courtesy the artist
In Extra Time, the former church of St Anne’s Monastery becomes a portal for different ideas and visions of the future. The main protagonists of the artistic staging are crow-like characters that populate the entire exhibition space. Crows are considered to be one of the most intelligent bird species. Their mysterious and prophetic call has also made them the subject of numerous myths and legends, often appearing as harbingers of great upheavals.
“As the title ‘Extra Time’ suggests, the exhibition extends beyond our experience of time. The crows act as mediators between our time, traditional ideas and the imagination of possible futures,” says the artist.
The crows are also a reference to the city of Lübeck, which, alongside Thomas Mann’s novel, is another important source of inspiration for the artist. As is characteristic of her working method, Heather Phillipson immersed herself in the city and allowed its images, sounds, smells and stories to take effect. The crows that populate the city and its playgrounds and sports fields, especially in the early hours of the morning, motivated the artist to translate this mysterious atmosphere into detailed spatial collages and surreal scenes. Visitors to the Kunsthalle St. Annen stroll through football pitches strewn with oranges, between reinterpreted medieval crucifixes and protest camps, through three-dimensional images, as it were.
Heather Phillipson developed the exhibition, which takes visitors on a tour through the individual rooms, especially for the Kunsthalle St. Annen and only here can it be experienced in its entirety. The artist incorporates the specific architecture of the exhibition centre, which can be climbed by visitors over three floors, symbolising the Magic Mountain.
WHEN?
Opening: Friday, 13 September 2024, 7 pm-8:30 pm
Exhibition dates: Saturday, 14 September 2024 until Thursday 02 March 2025
Press conference: Thursday, 12 September 2024, 2 pm
WHERE?
Kunsthalle St. Annen
St.-Annen-Straße 15
23552 Lübeck
