SHOWS (Selection)
Year
Location
Title
Curated by
March 6 – April 2026
WAS, Warburgstraße 8, 20534 Hamburg
Luzia Cruz, Maximilian Glas, Rahel grote Lambers, Mathew Hale, Yuwen Huang, Paula Hummer, Jigoo Hong, Estefanie Morales, Mark Morris, Yana Tsegay, Britta Thie, Ian Waelder, Till Wittwer
The groups show was curated by Alice Gustson.
by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 7 – December 7, 2025
Talk & Publication Release: 14.11.2025, 6 pm
ACUD Galerie, Veteranenstraße 2, 10119 Berlin Mitte
“Weaving Back to Common Grounds” marks the final stage of the two-year project “Have We Passed Peak Collective?”, developed in collaboration with Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg and other institutions. The project has explored questions of collective practice, shared agency, and collaboration in times of social and cultural change, reflecting on the dynamics between individual and collective work and the conditions that make collaboration possible or strenuous.
Common ground can be difficult to locate. It requires negotiation, reflection, and the ability to move between different perspectives - sometimes facing conflicting realities. It can mean navigating distance as much as proximity, moments of comfort as well as friction.
Finding common ground is part of every collective process. Different threads are taken up and woven together - a structure that is never seamless, full of gaps and loose ends. It means navigating emotions as much as ideas: moments of frustration, care, hesitation, and trust that shape how people work and relate. Collective work is labour, but it is also a form of grounding, a way to stay connected when certainties fall away. In a society marked by division and hyper-individualism, the question of what can still be shared feels increasingly urgent.
The exhibition reflects on the processes of finding - and losing - common ground. It examines closeness and distance, change and transformation, acknowledging that what once connected can later become a site of rupture.
September 21 – November 16, 2025
Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Großen-Perdekamp-Straße 25–27, 45657 Recklinghausen
The jury for the 40th Kunstpreis “junger westen”, which this year focused on painting, selected 22 artists from 690 submissions for the group exhibition: Annabelle Agbo Godeau (Düsseldorf), Johanna Ehmke (Köln), Nicholas Grafia (Düsseldorf), Rahel grote Lambers (Berlin), Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju (Berlin), Lucas Kaiser (Leipzig), Tobias Kerger (Düsseldorf), Jody Korbach (Düsseldorf), Gašper Kunšič (Frankfurt am Main), Sojeong Lee (Düsseldorf), Janis Löhrer (Berlin), Line Lyhne (Frankfurt am Main), Sol Namgung (Leipzig), Minh Phuong Nguyen (Wien), Matthias Noggler (Berlin), Aduni Ogunsan (Mönchengladbach), Jan-Luka Schmitz (Düsseldorf), Tariano Schneider (Hamburg), Rui Suzuki (Düsseldorf), Kiriakos Tompolidis (Berlin), Salwa Wittwer (Leipzig) und Seoyoung Yun (Düsseldorf).
June 13 – 27, 2025
ACUD Galerie, Veteranenstraße 2, 10119 Berlin Mitte
Edges that blur. Bodies that transform without submitting. Not a claim to space, but another way of inhabiting it. Movements that do not dominate but unlearn what we were taught to see as unshakable. Surfaces that breathe. Gestures that shift the weight of the world – imperceptibly, yet irresistibly. In a world that glorifies hardness, softness is a risk. But therein lies its strength: in the choice to remain open. To allow oneself to be touched. To bend without breaking. A form of resistance that does not arrive armored, but with an openness no less political. Refusing to become hard is a rebellion against a system that sells us hardness as strength. Our bodies, our voices, our images – they whisper, tremble, stretch. They tear nothing down. They yield. And it is in that yielding that space emerges. Space for the other, the tender, the repressed. Rebellion is not always a cry. Sometimes it is a breath held too long. Sometimes a crease that won’t smooth out. A touch that lingers. A tension that holds us together because we share it. A knowledge that cannot be put into words, that rests on the skin, that hums beneath the silence. Not all monuments must stand. Some dissolve. Some dance. Some remember differently. Here, resistance is not a thunderclap – but a whisper. Not an explosion – but a quiet dissolution. Not a boundary – but an opening.
“Tired Mass” is an experimental curatorial platform that bridges digital and physical space. It was initiated to create visibility and connection between artistic communities—especially across disciplines and geographies. Alongside its online publishing and research activities, Tired Mass initiates real-world exhibitions that cultivate exchange, intimacy, and shared urgency.
November 15 – 17, 2024
Alte Kleiderkasse, 22765 Hamburg
Including works by Jennifer Bannert, Luis Bruder, Sarice Brudet, Julia Burek, Lola Cuallado, Kathrin Dohndorf, Doumorh El-Riz, Simon Fujiwara, Rahel grote Lambers, Georg Haberler, Kristina Hajduchova, Rebecca Horn, Simin Jalilian, Sarah Jeong, Julian Kerkhoff, Hyunjin Kim, Andrey Klassen, Magnus Krueger, Inna Levinson, Monja Milzner, Maria Moritz, Luc Palmer, Naomi Pietros, Leonora Prugger, Robin Rhode, Assja Schäfer, David Schnell, Miles Schuler, Jana Schumacher, Fabian Raphael Sokolowski, Ludwig Stalla, Maximilian Welz, Sebastijan Zupancic.
November 2024
part of the program ”Die neue Frau” at ICAT HFBK Hamburg
Rahel grote Lambers & Farina Mietchen
ICAT, Lerchenfeld 2A, 22081 Hamburg
Using a dialogue-based presentation with an accompanying artist talk, artists from the HFBK Hamburg transfer the questions surrounding the research project The New Me to the present day. The New Me refers to the relationship between heteronormy and self-determination as well as historical and current feminist upheavals. Who or what is 'the new woman' about 100 years after the protagonists studied at the HFBK Hamburg? What aesthetics and political significance does 'the new woman' have today? On three evenings, artists will question aspects of gender identity, aesthetic connotations and role models from the exhibition in dialogue with their own artistic explorations.
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
“Chapter 1: Out of Your Head and Into my Body” part of “PART TIME COMMITMENT SERIES. Chapter 1–4. Arbeit, Zeit, Ressourcen, Solidarität”
June 14 – August 11, 2024
Lothringer 13 Halle, Lothringer Str. 13, 81667 Munich
In a long-term research and exchange process, the artists' collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation, explores solidarity-based forms of sustainable collaboration. In the Lothringer 13 Halle, otc takes up various aspects of collective labour and translates them into a site-specific installation made from found materials and elements from the art space's storrage. Through various components in the space, which are connected to each other, face each other, hold each other, come uncomfortably close to each other, stretch apart, lean against each other or support each other, recurring physical and emotional situations from the collective labour are suggested and made tangible for visitors. otc – Observant Thick Conversation, formerly Yours truly, LoL, formerly Law of Life (LoL) is an artists' collective that has set itself the goal of creating collective structures for young artists to support each other. Networking and building sustainable networks in exchange with artists, curators and institutions is an essential part of their joint artistic and political practice. The collective has realised various projects and exhibitions in Košice (SK), Hamburg, Berlin and Göttingen. Currently otc consists of Rahel grote Lambers, Alexander Klaubert, Francis Kussatz and Julia Lübbecke.
The installation Out of Your Head and Into my Body is being created in cooperation with Künstlerhaus Lauenburg as part of the series ”Have we passed peak collective?”, which will be realised by otc in Lauenburg, Munich, Bremen and Berlin from 2024 - 2025.
June 16 – 25, 2023
Kunstverein Gastgarten e.V. Hamburg
53 Nordkanalstraße, 20097 Hamburg
The works in the solo exhibition “Framing Familiarity” by Rahel grote Lambers explore nostalgic visual narratives and conservative aesthetics, as well as their ideological connotations and contextualization.
Taking the work ”Heimattreu” as a starting point, the exhibited works demonstrate and reflect on the aesthetic strategies of the Old and New Right in their references to nostalgia as well as to concepts of homeland and femininity.
The publication “Phantoms of Belonging” complements the exhibition with excerpts from Rahel grote Lambers’ scholarly research and writing practice.
April 2023, ICAT HFBK Hamburg
ICAT, Lerchenfeld 2A, 22081 Hamburg
"[...] Mit “Situation\Condition\Position” kuratierte Sjusanna Eremjan in Zusammenarbeit mit Stefan Aue eine Ausstellung, die einen umfassenden Blick auf die Kunstproduktion in Zeiten multipler Krisen wirft . Der Ausstellung gelingt es, verschiedenste Kämpfe sicht- und erfahrbar zu machen und spannt dadurch einen großen globalen Bogen – sowohl geografisch als auch zeitlich. Die Werke resultieren gleichermaßen aus Beobachtungen und aus eigenen Erfahrungen und Erzählungen über politische Repressionen, gesellschaftliche Notlagen und historische Umbruchphasen. Es sind teils sensible und vorsichtige, teils kämpferische Beiträge, die die zum Teil traumatischen Themen mit viel Sorgfalt behandeln. Dabei wird trotz allem nicht nur die erfahrene Gewalt thematisiert, sondern auch zuversichtliche Ansätze zur gemeinsamen Kommunikation geliefert." (Kathrin Krumm, 2023: Lerchenfeld 67)
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Yours truly, LoL)
June 27 – August 14, 2022
Kunstverein Göttingen, Gotmarstraße 1 37073 Göttingen
With: FAMED, Anja Kaiser, Luise Marchand, Irène Mélix, Ari Wahl, Yours truly, LoL
In the exhibition, “I DON’T WORK ON WEEKENDS”, the participating artists critically examine the concept of work and their own working conditions. The exhibition takes its starting point in the art and culture industry, but the examination of work structures and their social recognition and importance goes far beyond this sector – it is both historically and internationally situated and is public and intimate in equal measure. The project not only questions how work and its supposed productivity are socially valued, but also what possibilities and strategies for setting boundaries exist. It is not about the moment of refusing to work, but about the possibility of escaping a compulsion to produce and being able to make a voluntary decision, for example, not to work on weekends:
I don’t work on weekends.
The exhibition primarily examines and proposes solidarity-based cooperation and unity within the cultural sector, so that advocacy for better working conditions, regulated working hours, fair pay and social security doesn’t end in isolation. Collective formation and exchange are just as important here as transparency within one’s own working conditions and structures, as well as the articulation of these also within the public realm. “I DON’T WORK ON WEEKENDS” brings together artists and cultural workers with different backgrounds and experiences. What all participants have in common is that they critically examine their own working conditions as well as the cultural industry, and, in doing so, are critical of both institutions and themselves. The exhibition is thus a contribution to an urgent topic that needs to be discussed further and, above all, together.
In cooperation with the Art History Department of the University of Göttingen, students will develop their own thematic contributions over the course of the exhibition.
With contributions by Fenna Antonia Akkermann, Frido Elbers, Fini Freckmann, Lotta Geßner, Anne Just, Alicia May Lehmann, Alica Meyer, Justus Müller, Anna-Britt Nickel, Lena Pahnke, Tianying Shen, Lennard Worlitz, Yue Zhang, instructed by Jana August and Daniela Döring.
December 4, 2021 – January 16, 2022
Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Lichtentaler Allee 8a, 76530 Baden-Baden
“Conditions of a Necessity” originated as an assembly in September 2020, bringing together six visual arts and two theatre classes throughout Germany, under the invitation to co-create within the Kunsthalle premises. Responding to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of in-class facilities as well as graduation shows, the Assembly initiated a studio-like gathering in both digital and physical iterations for two weeks. More than a year later, “Conditions of a Necessity” is brought back to Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden as the culmination of evolved projects in an exhibition.
Following the prompt of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden’s directors, Çağla Ilk and Misal Adnan Yıldız, an informal framework was set up through which to practice non-individualistic modes of creation, collectively determined forms of organisation, communication and collaborative decision-making. In this context, Baden-Baden serves not only as a host but echoes the singularity of the city itself as a site of recuperative retreat, a space of time out of time. The framework was enlarged subsequent to the Assembly by theorist/artist Patricia Reed and artist Egemen Demirci, who have intervened as mediators and curators throughout the twelve months of project development with artists from the various classes. These include Lensbased Class (University of the Arts Berlin), Temporary Spaces (University of the Arts Bremen), Time-based Media (University of the Arts Hamburg), the collective Dynamic Acoustic Research (DAF), Body, Theory and Poetics of the Performative (Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design), and Expanded Cinema (Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig).
Throughout manifold exchanges, the artists and curators reflected not only on and through our dramatically altered conditions of sociality, but also on the consequences of these conditions upon institutional, educational, and configurations of collaboration unto themselves. Two notable tendencies emerged in this process yielding a stereoscopic picture of how understandings of the “commons” are manifest. In one inclination, the commons is implicitly tethered to its agricultural legacy as the delineation of a shared territory, where responsibilities are distributed amongst individual members as stakeholders. Translated into an artistic context, this instance of the common appears as a multiplicity of artistic voices/forms in a shared environment. The second tendency mobilised the commons in a mode of dissolved individual authorship, inventing techniques of commingled working towards the creation of a shared project.
As the necessity to contend with contemporary problems is indissociable from the necessity to discover ways to practice the commons and being in-common, the experimental works underwritten by these approaches, offer a glimpse at how a younger generation of artists are negotiating such shared, complex, multidisciplinary problems through artistic means. The collection of works – from performance, to video installation, to sound and sculpture – presents diverse vocabularies of form, reflective of future histories for which the seeds are being sown in the present.
October 18 – 27, 2019
Frappant Galerie, Zeiseweg 9, 22765 Hamburg
Founded in 2018, the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Law of Life and Yours Truly, LoL) explores the theme of resistance in its first project, a multi-part exhibition series. The collective approaches this complex subject through a range of perspectives, from socio-historical and semantic to identity-political. This gives rise to a polyphonic (counter)narrative that extends beyond the five articulated positions and multiplies them. The focus is not only on the mutual enrichment of the artworks themselves, but also, and in particular, on communicating with the audience and thereby placing the questions raised within real social contexts.
as part of the collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
September 12, 2019 – October 5, 2019
VUNU Gallery, Rumanova 1, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
The artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Law of Life and Yours truly, LoL) founded in 2018, explores the theme of resistance in its first project - a series of multi-part exhibitions.
This concept is examined through various approaches, ranging from socio-historical and semantic perspectives to those addressing identity politics. The result is a polyphonic (counter) narrative that operates outside the stated five principles; on the contrary, it multiplies them. It is therefore not merely a matter of the exhibited works enriching one another, but primarily of communicating with viewers and presenting their questions within a real social context.
Supported by public funds through the Arts Support Fund.
April 12 – 15, 2018
Klub der Künste, Deichtorstraße 1-2, 20095 Hamburg
Solo Show at the Klub der Künste Off Space of the Deichtorhallen Hamburg.
Talks / EVENTS (Selection)
2025
Rechte Verschiebung der Kunstfreiheit, Wolfgang Ullrich im Gespräch mit Rahel grote Lambers [more]
Panel discussion as part of the Diversity Development Program and the Department of Painting
October 21, 2025
HGB Festsaal, Wächterstraße 11, 04107 Leipzig
In times of social change, right-wing tendencies and right-wing conservative actors are gaining influence in the cultural scene. In doing so, they deliberately exploit artistic freedom and the concept of artistic autonomy for their own ends. Under the guise of freedom, “apolitical,” traditional, and right-wing perspectives are often portrayed as legitimate and harmless. Art historian Wolfgang Ullrich has analyzed this phenomenon in depth in his works “Art After the End of Its Autonomy” and “Becoming the Enemy.” He demonstrates how the concept of artistic autonomy has evolved from an originally emancipatory ideal into a defense mechanism against social change and cultural plurality. This paradox manifests itself in right-wing culturalism, which actively rejects or delegitimizes diversity and plurality as soon as they are perceived as “politically motivated.”
During the conversation, artist Rahel grote Lambers will first provide insight into her artistic practice, which engages with conservative and right-wing tendencies in society. Subsequently, she will discuss the topic of artistic autonomy and the aesthetic strategies of the New Right with Wolfgang Ullrich—in particular, their systematic instrumentalization of images to promote culturally conservative and right-wing thinking.
2024
Have We Passed Peak Collective? Chapter 3: Conditions & Consequences: Collaboration between Collectives and institutions [more]
A participatory discussion format by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 11, 2024
Künstler:innenhaus Bremen, Am Deich 68, 28119 Bremen
As part of the series “Have We Passed Peak Collective?”, the artists’ collective, otc - Observant Thick Conversation, explores collective work from an artistic and non-artistic perspective: What are the needs and prerequisites for collective work? How can collectives be supported and strengthened and learn from each other? The collective would like to discuss and debate these topics in conversation with curators and in exchange with interested visitors.
In formats such as a symposium, an exhibition and discussion formats, otc takes up various questions from this complex of topics at different locations. At Künstler:innenhaus Bremen, the participatory discussion format will focus on the role of institutions in the context of collective work. What conditions must be in place for artists’ collectives to work productively in an institutional context? What are the challenges and opportunities for institutions and curators when working with collectives? How can institutions work together collectively?
otc invites you to discuss these and other questions together with independent and institutional curators and directors from the visual and performing arts.
“Have We Passed Peak Collective?” was created as part of a grant at the invitation of Künstlerhaus Lauenburg and is a cooperation between Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, Lothringer 13, KH Künstler:innenhaus Bremen and other institutions. The aim of the project, which runs until 2025, is for knowledge, understanding and solidarity to grow with each station and for networks to emerge that jointly contribute to improving the situation of collective collaboration in the art world and on a cultural policy level.
A participatory discussion format by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
May 17 – 18, 2024
Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg, Elbstraße 54, 21481 Lauenburg/ Elbe
The symposium explored the concept of the collective: Where does collective work begin? How do we define collective work? Under what conditions is collective work possible both within and outside the art world? What do collectives and groups need? What is the situation like in rural areas?
Invited guest collectives from outside Lauenburg and local participants contributed to the two-day symposium – with a program in the Upper and Lower Towns featuring discussions, workshops, artistic interventions, and shared meals. This allowed the thoughts and ideas discussed to be further explored during these culinary exchanges.
“Have We Passed Peak Collective?” was created as part of a grant at the invitation of Künstlerhaus Lauenburg and is a cooperation between Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, Lothringer 13, KH Künstler:innenhaus Bremen and other institutions. The aim of the project, which ran until 2025, was for knowledge, understanding and solidarity to grow with each station and for networks to emerge that jointly contribute to improving the situation of collective collaboration in the art world and on a cultural policy level.
October 26, 2024
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Glockengießerwall 5, 20095 Hamburg
Once a month, the Hamburger Kunsthalle invites young adults aged 16 and older to its Salon. Whether it’s a reading, lecture, performance, discussion, concert, or workshop—each Salon offers a unique experience with a variety of exciting guests.
The evening’s Salon guest is the Kunstverein Gastgarten, an association focused on collaborating with cultural creators, particularly young artists from Hamburg. The association provides platforms for rotating exhibitions and publications that illuminate and reflect on various themes, artistic interests, and social positions through a diverse, interdisciplinary, discursive, and experimental program.
For the salon, the Kunstverein invites selected guests to present their artistic practices and, inspired by Walid Raad’s working methods, to discuss selected works from the Hamburger Kunsthalle’s collection. These artworks are intended to serve as starting points for alternative narratives in which personal, art-historical, political, and associative relationships can be combined. Special attention is given to queer-feminist perspectives, which will be explored within the framework of this salon through screenings, performances, and group discussions in the collection.
The Kunstverein Gastgarten invites the following:
Rahel grote Lambers
Rahel grote Lambers (she/her) lives and works in Hamburg. She is studying fine arts at the HfbK Hamburg. In her transdisciplinary practice, Grote Lambers critically examines the influence of widespread visual narratives and questions their aesthetics. She situates the narratives she examines within their ideological, mostly conservative contexts, thereby contributing to their deconstruction.
Anne Meerpohl
Anne Meerpohl (she/her) lives and works in Hamburg. She is active as an artist, curator, and activist. In 2022, Meerpohl completed her Master of Fine Arts at the HfbK Hamburg. Meerpohl is a co-founder of the Cake&Cash Curatorial Collective, a member of the Experimentelle Klasse collective, and involved in other collaborative projects. Her work focuses on the body, fluidity, and care, taking the form of painting, installation, and text.
Chastity Belt
The drag queen Chastity Belt (prefers she/her), “the most beautiful clown in all of St. Pauli,” has been performing on a wide variety of stages throughout Hamburg since 2022.
Among other venues, she has performed at the Millerntor Gallery, the Vogelball, events hosted by PPP-TV and the Feminité Museum St. Pauli, the Cultural Center & Club for electronic music SÜDPOL, the Schanzenfest, and the alternative Pride spectacle in the Gängeviertel. She most often performs with her stage partners Géraldine Schabraque and Vander Lizm as “GVC.” Together with Vander Lizm, she also co-hosts the variety show “Vanity Peer” at the historic queer bar Toom Peerstall in St. Pauli.
In addition, Chastity has appeared in music videos, as an extra in films, and in photos for advertising campaigns (including as a model for the feminist Lebefrauu collective).
Chastity performs full lip-syncs to songs in various languages. In doing so, she conveys the beauty of language and music across (linguistic) boundaries.
In a relaxed atmosphere over a refreshing drink, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect together, unleash your creativity, exchange ideas, and find inspiration.
The salon usually takes place on the fourth Thursday of the month and explores current topics within the LGBTIQ+ community in relation to selected exhibitions.
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 5, 2022
Zitadelle Spandau, Am Juliusturm 64, 13599 Berlin
More time, locality, presence, depth, quality, satisfied employees, meaningful narratives, analog work Less events, waste, transportation, travel, fees, Zoom, heating, overtime, lighting, printing
The discussion on how to manage limited or dwindling resources is one of the most pressing issues today, given the impacts of the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine. To address these challenging developments in the long term, sustainable and resource-conserving practices offer a viable solution. The Working Group of Municipal Galleries in Berlin has come together to specifically explore the topic and the question of sustainable curatorial and artistic practices, and in this context to provide an opportunity for networking among local actors from various cultural institutions.
The conference will explore relevant options for exhibition practice and curation from various perspectives of the invited artists, curators, and scholars, utilizing interdisciplinary approaches.
A series of lectures, workshops, and a discussion will explore various dimensions of sustainability and address the following key questions: How can professionals in the arts and culture—particularly at the local level—structure their work with sustainability in mind? How can the carbon footprint be reduced? What positively influences human ecology (work culture, social and cultural relations within institutions)? How do we adapt our institutions, practices, and work culture to new sustainable conditions?
The focus is on practical curatorial and technical strategies to discuss and enable sustainable exhibition design and a reduction in resource consumption in operations before winter sets in.
Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof, Bahnhof Hamburg-Harburg, Hannoversche Str. 85, 21079 Hamburg
Performance in collaboration with Delia Prezioso.
SHOWS (Selection)
2026
Atlas [more]
Alice Gustson
March 6 – April 2026
WAS, Warburgstraße 8, 20534 Hamburg
Luzia Cruz, Maximilian Glas, Rahel grote Lambers, Mathew Hale, Yuwen Huang, Paula Hummer, Jigoo Hong, Estefanie Morales, Mark Morris, Yana Tsegay, Britta Thie, Ian Waelder, Till Wittwer
The groups show was curated by Alice Gustson.
2025
Weaving Back to Common Grounds [more]
by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 7 – December 7, 2025
Talk & Publication Release: 14.11.2025, 6 pm
ACUD Galerie, Veteranenstraße 2, 10119 Berlin Mitte
“Weaving Back to Common Grounds” marks the final stage of the two-year project “Have We Passed Peak Collective?”, developed in collaboration with Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg and other institutions. The project has explored questions of collective practice, shared agency, and collaboration in times of social and cultural change, reflecting on the dynamics between individual and collective work and the conditions that make collaboration possible or strenuous.
Common ground can be difficult to locate. It requires negotiation, reflection, and the ability to move between different perspectives - sometimes facing conflicting realities. It can mean navigating distance as much as proximity, moments of comfort as well as friction.
Finding common ground is part of every collective process. Different threads are taken up and woven together - a structure that is never seamless, full of gaps and loose ends. It means navigating emotions as much as ideas: moments of frustration, care, hesitation, and trust that shape how people work and relate. Collective work is labour, but it is also a form of grounding, a way to stay connected when certainties fall away. In a society marked by division and hyper-individualism, the question of what can still be shared feels increasingly urgent.
The exhibition reflects on the processes of finding - and losing - common ground. It examines closeness and distance, change and transformation, acknowledging that what once connected can later become a site of rupture.
2025
Junger Westen [more]
Nico Anklam
September 21 – November 16, 2025
Kunsthalle Recklinghausen, Großen-Perdekamp-Straße 25–27, 45657 Recklinghausen
The jury for the 40th Kunstpreis “junger westen”, which this year focused on painting, selected 22 artists from 690 submissions for the group exhibition: Annabelle Agbo Godeau (Düsseldorf), Johanna Ehmke (Köln), Nicholas Grafia (Düsseldorf), Rahel grote Lambers (Berlin), Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju (Berlin), Lucas Kaiser (Leipzig), Tobias Kerger (Düsseldorf), Jody Korbach (Düsseldorf), Gašper Kunšič (Frankfurt am Main), Sojeong Lee (Düsseldorf), Janis Löhrer (Berlin), Line Lyhne (Frankfurt am Main), Sol Namgung (Leipzig), Minh Phuong Nguyen (Wien), Matthias Noggler (Berlin), Aduni Ogunsan (Mönchengladbach), Jan-Luka Schmitz (Düsseldorf), Tariano Schneider (Hamburg), Rui Suzuki (Düsseldorf), Kiriakos Tompolidis (Berlin), Salwa Wittwer (Leipzig) und Seoyoung Yun (Düsseldorf).
2025
Edges that blur, bodies that fold into something other [more]
Alexander Klaubert, Tired Mass
June 13 – 27, 2025
ACUD Galerie, Veteranenstraße 2, 10119 Berlin Mitte
Edges that blur. Bodies that transform without submitting. Not a claim to space, but another way of inhabiting it. Movements that do not dominate but unlearn what we were taught to see as unshakable. Surfaces that breathe. Gestures that shift the weight of the world – imperceptibly, yet irresistibly. In a world that glorifies hardness, softness is a risk. But therein lies its strength: in the choice to remain open. To allow oneself to be touched. To bend without breaking. A form of resistance that does not arrive armored, but with an openness no less political. Refusing to become hard is a rebellion against a system that sells us hardness as strength. Our bodies, our voices, our images – they whisper, tremble, stretch. They tear nothing down. They yield. And it is in that yielding that space emerges. Space for the other, the tender, the repressed. Rebellion is not always a cry. Sometimes it is a breath held too long. Sometimes a crease that won’t smooth out. A touch that lingers. A tension that holds us together because we share it. A knowledge that cannot be put into words, that rests on the skin, that hums beneath the silence. Not all monuments must stand. Some dissolve. Some dance. Some remember differently. Here, resistance is not a thunderclap – but a whisper. Not an explosion – but a quiet dissolution. Not a boundary – but an opening.
“Tired Mass” is an experimental curatorial platform that bridges digital and physical space. It was initiated to create visibility and connection between artistic communities—especially across disciplines and geographies. Alongside its online publishing and research activities, Tired Mass initiates real-world exhibitions that cultivate exchange, intimacy, and shared urgency.
2024
Alte Kleiderkasse Hamburg
salondergegenwart [more]
Christian & Margarita Holle
November 15 – 17, 2024
Alte Kleiderkasse, 22765 Hamburg
Including works by Jennifer Bannert, Luis Bruder, Sarice Brudet, Julia Burek, Lola Cuallado, Kathrin Dohndorf, Doumorh El-Riz, Simon Fujiwara, Rahel grote Lambers, Georg Haberler, Kristina Hajduchova, Rebecca Horn, Simin Jalilian, Sarah Jeong, Julian Kerkhoff, Hyunjin Kim, Andrey Klassen, Magnus Krueger, Inna Levinson, Monja Milzner, Maria Moritz, Luc Palmer, Naomi Pietros, Leonora Prugger, Robin Rhode, Assja Schäfer, David Schnell, Miles Schuler, Jana Schumacher, Fabian Raphael Sokolowski, Ludwig Stalla, Maximilian Welz, Sebastijan Zupancic.
2024
The New Me [more]
Anne Meerpohl
November 2024
part of the program ”Die neue Frau” at ICAT HFBK Hamburg
Rahel grote Lambers & Farina Mietchen
ICAT, Lerchenfeld 2A, 22081 Hamburg
Using a dialogue-based presentation with an accompanying artist talk, artists from the HFBK Hamburg transfer the questions surrounding the research project The New Me to the present day. The New Me refers to the relationship between heteronormy and self-determination as well as historical and current feminist upheavals. Who or what is 'the new woman' about 100 years after the protagonists studied at the HFBK Hamburg? What aesthetics and political significance does 'the new woman' have today? On three evenings, artists will question aspects of gender identity, aesthetic connotations and role models from the exhibition in dialogue with their own artistic explorations.
2024
Part Time Commitment Series: Out of my Head and Into Your Body [more]
Lisa Britzger
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
“Chapter 1: Out of Your Head and Into my Body” part of “PART TIME COMMITMENT SERIES. Chapter 1–4. Arbeit, Zeit, Ressourcen, Solidarität”
June 14 – August 11, 2024
Lothringer 13 Halle, Lothringer Str. 13, 81667 Munich
In a long-term research and exchange process, the artists' collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation, explores solidarity-based forms of sustainable collaboration. In the Lothringer 13 Halle, otc takes up various aspects of collective labour and translates them into a site-specific installation made from found materials and elements from the art space's storrage. Through various components in the space, which are connected to each other, face each other, hold each other, come uncomfortably close to each other, stretch apart, lean against each other or support each other, recurring physical and emotional situations from the collective labour are suggested and made tangible for visitors. otc – Observant Thick Conversation, formerly Yours truly, LoL, formerly Law of Life (LoL) is an artists' collective that has set itself the goal of creating collective structures for young artists to support each other. Networking and building sustainable networks in exchange with artists, curators and institutions is an essential part of their joint artistic and political practice. The collective has realised various projects and exhibitions in Košice (SK), Hamburg, Berlin and Göttingen. Currently otc consists of Rahel grote Lambers, Alexander Klaubert, Francis Kussatz and Julia Lübbecke.
The installation Out of Your Head and Into my Body is being created in cooperation with Künstlerhaus Lauenburg as part of the series ”Have we passed peak collective?”, which will be realised by otc in Lauenburg, Munich, Bremen and Berlin from 2024 - 2025.
2023
Framing Familiarity [more]
Heiko Lietz
June 16 – 25, 2023
Kunstverein Gastgarten e.V. Hamburg
53 Nordkanalstraße, 20097 Hamburg
The works in the solo exhibition “Framing Familiarity” by Rahel grote Lambers explore nostalgic visual narratives and conservative aesthetics, as well as their ideological connotations and contextualization.
Taking the work ”Heimattreu” as a starting point, the exhibited works demonstrate and reflect on the aesthetic strategies of the Old and New Right in their references to nostalgia as well as to concepts of homeland and femininity.
The publication “Phantoms of Belonging” complements the exhibition with excerpts from Rahel grote Lambers’ scholarly research and writing practice.
2023
Situation\Condition\Position [more]
Sjusanna Eremjan & Stefan Aue
April 2023, ICAT HFBK Hamburg
ICAT, Lerchenfeld 2A, 22081 Hamburg
"[...] Mit “Situation\Condition\Position” kuratierte Sjusanna Eremjan in Zusammenarbeit mit Stefan Aue eine Ausstellung, die einen umfassenden Blick auf die Kunstproduktion in Zeiten multipler Krisen wirft . Der Ausstellung gelingt es, verschiedenste Kämpfe sicht- und erfahrbar zu machen und spannt dadurch einen großen globalen Bogen – sowohl geografisch als auch zeitlich. Die Werke resultieren gleichermaßen aus Beobachtungen und aus eigenen Erfahrungen und Erzählungen über politische Repressionen, gesellschaftliche Notlagen und historische Umbruchphasen. Es sind teils sensible und vorsichtige, teils kämpferische Beiträge, die die zum Teil traumatischen Themen mit viel Sorgfalt behandeln. Dabei wird trotz allem nicht nur die erfahrene Gewalt thematisiert, sondern auch zuversichtliche Ansätze zur gemeinsamen Kommunikation geliefert." (Kathrin Krumm, 2023: Lerchenfeld 67)
2022
I DON'T WORK ON WEEKENDS [more]
Vincent Schier
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Yours truly, LoL)
June 27 – August 14, 2022
Kunstverein Göttingen, Gotmarstraße 1 37073 Göttingen
With: FAMED, Anja Kaiser, Luise Marchand, Irène Mélix, Ari Wahl, Yours truly, LoL
In the exhibition, “I DON’T WORK ON WEEKENDS”, the participating artists critically examine the concept of work and their own working conditions. The exhibition takes its starting point in the art and culture industry, but the examination of work structures and their social recognition and importance goes far beyond this sector – it is both historically and internationally situated and is public and intimate in equal measure. The project not only questions how work and its supposed productivity are socially valued, but also what possibilities and strategies for setting boundaries exist. It is not about the moment of refusing to work, but about the possibility of escaping a compulsion to produce and being able to make a voluntary decision, for example, not to work on weekends:
I don’t work on weekends.
The exhibition primarily examines and proposes solidarity-based cooperation and unity within the cultural sector, so that advocacy for better working conditions, regulated working hours, fair pay and social security doesn’t end in isolation. Collective formation and exchange are just as important here as transparency within one’s own working conditions and structures, as well as the articulation of these also within the public realm. “I DON’T WORK ON WEEKENDS” brings together artists and cultural workers with different backgrounds and experiences. What all participants have in common is that they critically examine their own working conditions as well as the cultural industry, and, in doing so, are critical of both institutions and themselves. The exhibition is thus a contribution to an urgent topic that needs to be discussed further and, above all, together.
In cooperation with the Art History Department of the University of Göttingen, students will develop their own thematic contributions over the course of the exhibition.
With contributions by Fenna Antonia Akkermann, Frido Elbers, Fini Freckmann, Lotta Geßner, Anne Just, Alicia May Lehmann, Alica Meyer, Justus Müller, Anna-Britt Nickel, Lena Pahnke, Tianying Shen, Lennard Worlitz, Yue Zhang, instructed by Jana August and Daniela Döring.
2021
Conditions of a Necessity [more]
Çağla Ilk, Misal Adnan Yıldız, Egemen Demirci, Patricia Reed
December 4, 2021 – January 16, 2022
Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden, Lichtentaler Allee 8a, 76530 Baden-Baden
“Conditions of a Necessity” originated as an assembly in September 2020, bringing together six visual arts and two theatre classes throughout Germany, under the invitation to co-create within the Kunsthalle premises. Responding to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and the cancellation of in-class facilities as well as graduation shows, the Assembly initiated a studio-like gathering in both digital and physical iterations for two weeks. More than a year later, “Conditions of a Necessity” is brought back to Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden as the culmination of evolved projects in an exhibition.
Following the prompt of the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden’s directors, Çağla Ilk and Misal Adnan Yıldız, an informal framework was set up through which to practice non-individualistic modes of creation, collectively determined forms of organisation, communication and collaborative decision-making. In this context, Baden-Baden serves not only as a host but echoes the singularity of the city itself as a site of recuperative retreat, a space of time out of time. The framework was enlarged subsequent to the Assembly by theorist/artist Patricia Reed and artist Egemen Demirci, who have intervened as mediators and curators throughout the twelve months of project development with artists from the various classes. These include Lensbased Class (University of the Arts Berlin), Temporary Spaces (University of the Arts Bremen), Time-based Media (University of the Arts Hamburg), the collective Dynamic Acoustic Research (DAF), Body, Theory and Poetics of the Performative (Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design), and Expanded Cinema (Academy of Visual Arts Leipzig).
Throughout manifold exchanges, the artists and curators reflected not only on and through our dramatically altered conditions of sociality, but also on the consequences of these conditions upon institutional, educational, and configurations of collaboration unto themselves. Two notable tendencies emerged in this process yielding a stereoscopic picture of how understandings of the “commons” are manifest. In one inclination, the commons is implicitly tethered to its agricultural legacy as the delineation of a shared territory, where responsibilities are distributed amongst individual members as stakeholders. Translated into an artistic context, this instance of the common appears as a multiplicity of artistic voices/forms in a shared environment. The second tendency mobilised the commons in a mode of dissolved individual authorship, inventing techniques of commingled working towards the creation of a shared project.
As the necessity to contend with contemporary problems is indissociable from the necessity to discover ways to practice the commons and being in-common, the experimental works underwritten by these approaches, offer a glimpse at how a younger generation of artists are negotiating such shared, complex, multidisciplinary problems through artistic means. The collection of works – from performance, to video installation, to sound and sculpture – presents diverse vocabularies of form, reflective of future histories for which the seeds are being sown in the present.
2019
Resistance II [more]
October 18 – 27, 2019
Frappant Galerie, Zeiseweg 9, 22765 Hamburg
Founded in 2018, the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Law of Life and Yours Truly, LoL) explores the theme of resistance in its first project, a multi-part exhibition series. The collective approaches this complex subject through a range of perspectives, from socio-historical and semantic to identity-political. This gives rise to a polyphonic (counter)narrative that extends beyond the five articulated positions and multiplies them. The focus is not only on the mutual enrichment of the artworks themselves, but also, and in particular, on communicating with the audience and thereby placing the questions raised within real social contexts.
2019
VUNU Gallery (SK)
Resistance [more]
Nikolas Bernath
as part of the collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
September 12, 2019 – October 5, 2019
VUNU Gallery, Rumanova 1, 040 01 Košice, Slovakia
The artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation (formerly Law of Life and Yours truly, LoL) founded in 2018, explores the theme of resistance in its first project - a series of multi-part exhibitions.
This concept is examined through various approaches, ranging from socio-historical and semantic perspectives to those addressing identity politics. The result is a polyphonic (counter) narrative that operates outside the stated five principles; on the contrary, it multiplies them. It is therefore not merely a matter of the exhibited works enriching one another, but primarily of communicating with viewers and presenting their questions within a real social context.
Supported by public funds through the Arts Support Fund.
2018
Thoughts on Space [more]
Josephine Pasura
April 12 – 15, 2018
Klub der Künste, Deichtorstraße 1-2, 20095 Hamburg
Solo Show at the Klub der Künste Off Space of the Deichtorhallen Hamburg.
Talks / EVENTS (Selection)
2025
Rechte Verschiebung der Kunstfreiheit, Wolfgang Ullrich im Gespräch mit Rahel grote Lambers [more]
Panel discussion as part of the Diversity Development Program and the Department of Painting
October 21, 2025
HGB Festsaal, Wächterstraße 11, 04107 Leipzig
In times of social change, right-wing tendencies and right-wing conservative actors are gaining influence in the cultural scene. In doing so, they deliberately exploit artistic freedom and the concept of artistic autonomy for their own ends. Under the guise of freedom, “apolitical,” traditional, and right-wing perspectives are often portrayed as legitimate and harmless. Art historian Wolfgang Ullrich has analyzed this phenomenon in depth in his works “Art After the End of Its Autonomy” and “Becoming the Enemy.” He demonstrates how the concept of artistic autonomy has evolved from an originally emancipatory ideal into a defense mechanism against social change and cultural plurality. This paradox manifests itself in right-wing culturalism, which actively rejects or delegitimizes diversity and plurality as soon as they are perceived as “politically motivated.”
During the conversation, artist Rahel grote Lambers will first provide insight into her artistic practice, which engages with conservative and right-wing tendencies in society. Subsequently, she will discuss the topic of artistic autonomy and the aesthetic strategies of the New Right with Wolfgang Ullrich—in particular, their systematic instrumentalization of images to promote culturally conservative and right-wing thinking.
2024
Have We Passed Peak Collective? Chapter 3: Conditions & Consequences: Collaboration between Collectives and institutions [more]
A participatory discussion format by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 11, 2024
Künstler:innenhaus Bremen, Am Deich 68, 28119 Bremen
As part of the series “Have We Passed Peak Collective?”, the artists’ collective, otc - Observant Thick Conversation, explores collective work from an artistic and non-artistic perspective: What are the needs and prerequisites for collective work? How can collectives be supported and strengthened and learn from each other? The collective would like to discuss and debate these topics in conversation with curators and in exchange with interested visitors.
In formats such as a symposium, an exhibition and discussion formats, otc takes up various questions from this complex of topics at different locations. At Künstler:innenhaus Bremen, the participatory discussion format will focus on the role of institutions in the context of collective work. What conditions must be in place for artists’ collectives to work productively in an institutional context? What are the challenges and opportunities for institutions and curators when working with collectives? How can institutions work together collectively?
otc invites you to discuss these and other questions together with independent and institutional curators and directors from the visual and performing arts.
“Have We Passed Peak Collective?” was created as part of a grant at the invitation of Künstlerhaus Lauenburg and is a cooperation between Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, Lothringer 13, KH Künstler:innenhaus Bremen and other institutions. The aim of the project, which runs until 2025, is for knowledge, understanding and solidarity to grow with each station and for networks to emerge that jointly contribute to improving the situation of collective collaboration in the art world and on a cultural policy level.
2024
Have We Passed Peak Collective? [more]
A participatory discussion format by otc - Observant Thick Conversation
May 17 – 18, 2024
Künstler:innenhaus Lauenburg, Elbstraße 54, 21481 Lauenburg/ Elbe
The symposium explored the concept of the collective: Where does collective work begin? How do we define collective work? Under what conditions is collective work possible both within and outside the art world? What do collectives and groups need? What is the situation like in rural areas?
Invited guest collectives from outside Lauenburg and local participants contributed to the two-day symposium – with a program in the Upper and Lower Towns featuring discussions, workshops, artistic interventions, and shared meals. This allowed the thoughts and ideas discussed to be further explored during these culinary exchanges.
“Have We Passed Peak Collective?” was created as part of a grant at the invitation of Künstlerhaus Lauenburg and is a cooperation between Künstlerhaus Lauenburg, Lothringer 13, KH Künstler:innenhaus Bremen and other institutions. The aim of the project, which ran until 2025, was for knowledge, understanding and solidarity to grow with each station and for networks to emerge that jointly contribute to improving the situation of collective collaboration in the art world and on a cultural policy level.
2023
SALON RAAD [more]
October 26, 2024
Hamburger Kunsthalle, Glockengießerwall 5, 20095 Hamburg
Once a month, the Hamburger Kunsthalle invites young adults aged 16 and older to its Salon. Whether it’s a reading, lecture, performance, discussion, concert, or workshop—each Salon offers a unique experience with a variety of exciting guests.
The evening’s Salon guest is the Kunstverein Gastgarten, an association focused on collaborating with cultural creators, particularly young artists from Hamburg. The association provides platforms for rotating exhibitions and publications that illuminate and reflect on various themes, artistic interests, and social positions through a diverse, interdisciplinary, discursive, and experimental program.
For the salon, the Kunstverein invites selected guests to present their artistic practices and, inspired by Walid Raad’s working methods, to discuss selected works from the Hamburger Kunsthalle’s collection. These artworks are intended to serve as starting points for alternative narratives in which personal, art-historical, political, and associative relationships can be combined. Special attention is given to queer-feminist perspectives, which will be explored within the framework of this salon through screenings, performances, and group discussions in the collection.
The Kunstverein Gastgarten invites the following:
Rahel grote Lambers
Rahel grote Lambers (she/her) lives and works in Hamburg. She is studying fine arts at the HfbK Hamburg. In her transdisciplinary practice, Grote Lambers critically examines the influence of widespread visual narratives and questions their aesthetics. She situates the narratives she examines within their ideological, mostly conservative contexts, thereby contributing to their deconstruction.
Anne Meerpohl
Anne Meerpohl (she/her) lives and works in Hamburg. She is active as an artist, curator, and activist. In 2022, Meerpohl completed her Master of Fine Arts at the HfbK Hamburg. Meerpohl is a co-founder of the Cake&Cash Curatorial Collective, a member of the Experimentelle Klasse collective, and involved in other collaborative projects. Her work focuses on the body, fluidity, and care, taking the form of painting, installation, and text.
Chastity Belt
The drag queen Chastity Belt (prefers she/her), “the most beautiful clown in all of St. Pauli,” has been performing on a wide variety of stages throughout Hamburg since 2022.
Among other venues, she has performed at the Millerntor Gallery, the Vogelball, events hosted by PPP-TV and the Feminité Museum St. Pauli, the Cultural Center & Club for electronic music SÜDPOL, the Schanzenfest, and the alternative Pride spectacle in the Gängeviertel. She most often performs with her stage partners Géraldine Schabraque and Vander Lizm as “GVC.” Together with Vander Lizm, she also co-hosts the variety show “Vanity Peer” at the historic queer bar Toom Peerstall in St. Pauli.
In addition, Chastity has appeared in music videos, as an extra in films, and in photos for advertising campaigns (including as a model for the feminist Lebefrauu collective).
Chastity performs full lip-syncs to songs in various languages. In doing so, she conveys the beauty of language and music across (linguistic) boundaries.
In a relaxed atmosphere over a refreshing drink, you’ll have the opportunity to reflect together, unleash your creativity, exchange ideas, and find inspiration.
The salon usually takes place on the fourth Thursday of the month and explores current topics within the LGBTIQ+ community in relation to selected exhibitions.
2022
Schöpfen ohne Erschöpfung – Nachhaltigkeit im Kunst und Kulturbetrieb [more]
as part of the artist collective otc - Observant Thick Conversation
November 5, 2022
Zitadelle Spandau, Am Juliusturm 64, 13599 Berlin
More time, locality, presence, depth, quality, satisfied employees, meaningful narratives, analog work Less events, waste, transportation, travel, fees, Zoom, heating, overtime, lighting, printing
The discussion on how to manage limited or dwindling resources is one of the most pressing issues today, given the impacts of the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine. To address these challenging developments in the long term, sustainable and resource-conserving practices offer a viable solution. The Working Group of Municipal Galleries in Berlin has come together to specifically explore the topic and the question of sustainable curatorial and artistic practices, and in this context to provide an opportunity for networking among local actors from various cultural institutions.
The conference will explore relevant options for exhibition practice and curation from various perspectives of the invited artists, curators, and scholars, utilizing interdisciplinary approaches.
A series of lectures, workshops, and a discussion will explore various dimensions of sustainability and address the following key questions: How can professionals in the arts and culture—particularly at the local level—structure their work with sustainability in mind? How can the carbon footprint be reduced? What positively influences human ecology (work culture, social and cultural relations within institutions)? How do we adapt our institutions, practices, and work culture to new sustainable conditions?
The focus is on practical curatorial and technical strategies to discuss and enable sustainable exhibition design and a reduction in resource consumption in operations before winter sets in.
2022
Der Offene Mund: HYPERVENTILATION [more]
Kunstverein Harburger Bahnhof, Bahnhof Hamburg-Harburg, Hannoversche Str. 85, 21079 Hamburg
Performance in collaboration with Delia Prezioso.