MY BODY IS A TEMPLE


Group show - Opening on Friday 1st of November
Hannah Bohnen, Felix Kultau, Jagoda Bednarsky, Julie Warwel, Andy Hmiliar, Johanna von Holst, Henri Haake, Camilla Inge Volbert (performance), Sonja Yakovleva (performance)
2. Nov. - 6.Dec. 2024
The exhibition MY BODY IS A TEMPLE provides insights into diverse perspectives in the world of self-care. Nine artistic positions examine the longing for physical and mental perfection of one's own lifestyle. The body functions as a projection surface for external self-presentation, but also as a medium of inner emotions and identity. Spas, nail salons, and similar relaxation spots are considered both social spaces and temporary retreats. They offer not just aesthetic benefits, but also healing and detoxifying effects on an individual level. The wellness and body cult industry encourages people to use their bodies as a means of belonging to a social group through their clothing style, hairstyle, body shape, or nail design. In certain cultural practices, the body and its ritualistic or manipulative treatment can be elevated to symbolize a specific social status or significance. Simultaneously, the desire for external recognition is closely tied to the deep longing for psychological balance and the care of physical and mental health.Visitors are invited to reconsider the body as a source of power, change, and self-determination. The exhibition addresses both the external perspective, which sees wellness and body worship as performance, and the internal view of self-care and individual needs.Another central aspect of the artistic explorations is the pursuit of an ‘ideal’ body and the associated well-being as well as the rewarding feeling of balance that is sought through rituals such as facial or nail treatments, dietary supplements or workout plans. These practices can reflect a fine line between mindfulness, discipline and compulsion.The gap between naturalness and artificiality is presented in the exhibition as a fascinating field of tension that simultaneously attracts and challenges us. This play with reality is reminiscent of a dream world in which the longing for perfection and self-optimisation, coupled with the challenges of the modern way of life, becomes visible. MY BODY IS A TEMPLE encourages visitors to think about their own body perception and to critically reflect on how social norms and individual beliefs shape our understanding of self-care, body image and identity. At the same time, the exhibition itself opens up like a wellness and spa room and unites the artistic positions in an ambience between individual well-being, sensual pleasure and the artificiality of a staged art exhibition.
Verena Osthoff
OPENING 01. Nov 6:00 PM

