Katja Aufleger

It's never too late to panic ...
Panic is always an option – this state of heightened alertness with a ring of hysteria lies at the center of Katja Aufleger’s exhibition at Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven.

Heavy construction machines that applaud the visitors, glass pipes which emit the sound of a singing dune, or sculptures that could explode at any moment – Katja Aufleger's conceptual and multimedia works fluctuate between tenderness and destruction. They are experiments, humorous commentaries and subtle critiques of social systems, all at the same time. Aufleger’s key issues often manifest themselves outside of what is depicted, and invite viewers to think them through and explore extraordinary scenarios. Her deeply aesthetic works are based on intensive research, approach the materials in a playful and innovative way, and contain exceptional moments of suspense.

Katja Aufleger is developing site-specific works for her exhibition in Wilhelmshaven –- installations, sculpture and videos that interact on various levels with the Kunsthalle’s architecture and its open floor plan. Simultaneously sounds – whether from sirens, chimes, or bells – put people on their alert and play a central role. The exhibition is part of the themed year titled SOUND & UNSOUND, in which the Kunsthalle Wilhelmshaven addressing the interplay between art, music and anti-music.

Katja Aufleger's work has been shown in numerous group and solo exhibitions, including Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof (2021); Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen (2021); Museum Tinguely, Basel (2020); Kunstverein Hamburg (2015); and Stadtmuseum Oldenburg (2014). Recently, her expansive installation THE HUDDLE in front of the Jahrhunderthalle Bochum attracted much attention as part of the Ruhrtriennale. Aufleger's work has received many awards - among others, she received the Berenberg Prize for Young Art, the Art Prize of the Kulturstiftung der Öffentlichen Oldenburg, grants from the Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn, an artist-in-residence program in Zurich, the Rupert Residency in Vilnius. The Oldenburg-born artist completed her master's degree in 2013 at the Hamburg University of Fine Arts with Andreas Slominski.