Hamburger Kunsthalle presents Breathing

More than 100 works engage in intriguing debates, some spanning epochs. The result is an unconventional exploration of an existential theme that appears to be merely an unconscious, biological process at first glance, but which in fact unfolds a plethora of social and political dimensions: from breath as a central biblical metaphor and expression of our relationship to the world, to air pollution and respiratory illnesses, to the Black Lives Matter movement.

The exhibition Breathing allows visitors to approach the multidimensional theme from a range of perspectives, identifying both historical similarities and changing permutations across time in how artists approach this topic. The exhibition follows Fail Better (2013), Waiting (2017), and Mourning (2020), and is the latest in a series of socially relevant thematic exhibitions at the Hamburger Kunsthalle.

Featured artists: Marina Abramović & Ulay, Hendrik Andriessen, Thomas Baldischwyler, Hendrick ter Brugghen, Helen Cammock, Nina Canell, Alice Channer, David Claerbout, Natalie Czech, Johan Christian Dahl, Cornelis Gerritsz. Decker, Lucinda Devlin, Johann Georg von Dillis, Allaert van Everdingen, VALIE EXPORT, Forensic Architecture, Hamburg Master (aka Master Francke), Caspar David Friedrich, Kasia Fudakowski, Bernardino Fungai, Vibha Galhotra, Jacob Gensler, Francisco de Goya, Andreas Greiner, Jeppe Hein, Dutch Masters (18th century), Jenny Holzer, Joachim Koester, Teresa Margolles, Jan van Mieris, Willem van Mieris, Bertram von Minden, Oscar Muñoz, Cornelia Parker, Giuseppe Penone, Dirk Reinartz, Anri Sala, Ari Benjamin Meyers, Godfried Schalcken, Markus Schinwald, Hendrick van Someren, Sebastian Stumpf, David Teniers the Younger, Thomson & Craighead, Lee Ufan, Claude-Joseph Vernet and David Zink Yi

Curators: Brigitte Kölle and Sandra Pisot