Arhun Aksakal—Land Before Time

At the centre of the exhibition is the film ›Land Before Time‹, which explores the traces of industrialization in Europe and intertwines them with the artist's personal family history as the child of Turkish guest workers. The film examines the tension between architecture, landscape, and memory, raising questions about identity, migration, and cultural heritage.

Through visual contrasts and poetic imagery, Aksakal highlights spaces of labor and transformation: abandoned coal mines, submerged cities, monumental structures, and urban free spaces. Sites once shaped by hard physical work have now been repurposed for leisure and culture—from parkour performances on Ulrich Rückriem’s sculptures to music festivals in Ferropolis.

The film engages with the transformation of spaces and humanity’s inclination to forget. At the same time, it reveals the connection between industrial progress and environmental destruction—whether through the renaturation of former mining areas or the disappearance of historic sites like Hasankeyf beneath a dam.

As an extension of the film, the exhibition presents a selection of new installation-based works – a dense spatial composition that invites visitors to experience and explore Aksakal’s artistic language in a holistic way.

Curated by Leonie Rösler and Marlene Sichelschmidt.