Category Archives: Exhibitions

News: Exhibition DIALOGe, Aachen

DIALOGe

is taking place at

Ateliersozietät & Zeigeraum Prozitron

(Lothringer Straße 91, 52070 Aachen, Germany)

Participating artists:
art core (streetart, Kalligrafie) / Bernd Ciceron (Malerei)
Alfred Reuters (Toter Hund der Woche – Starterset)
Aysha Farooq + Sylvia Nirmaier(Wandinstallation)
Imke Rust (Namibia – Berlin)
Satadru Sovan (Indien – „colours“)
UTA Göbel-Groß („South Africa calling“).

Unfortunately I will not be there personally, but most of the other amazing artists are.

A picture taken during the hanging of the exhibition with works by Uta Göbel-Groß, Satadru Sovan and Imke Rust

And here are some of the artworks for those who cannot make it to Aachen.

From the Lexikon Portrait Series by Imke Rust (Each work is 29x21cm, Ink on lexicon pages)

Titles from left to right: 263 (Consul); 315 (Demut); 311 (Delirium)

From the Lexikon Portrait Series by Imke Rust (Each work is 29 x 21cm, Ink and Acrylic on lexicon pages)

Titles from left to right: 304 (de fide); 249 (Clairvoyance); 248 (citius, altius, fortius))

All my works are for sale.

Price: 170€ each. When you buy 3 (three) artworks the price for all three is 470€ – instead of 510€.

Just contact me if you are interested to buy any of these artworks, or visit the gallery in Aachen if you are there! Thank you!

Pendlerin zwischen den Welten – Commuter Between Worlds

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Excitement!!!

Some time ago I was contacted by a journalist who likes my art and wanted to interview me for an article in the magazin ‘afrikapost – Magazin für Politik, Wirtschaft und Kultur’. I agreed, although I have to admit that I was so nervous and almost said no.

Now the article is published and I am so grateful for a wonderfully written portrait of my art and me. Thank you, Tobias Döpker, editor of the Mannheimer Morgen Newspaper for taking the time and interest and for summing up the long interview in a perfect way!

So writing today’s post is made very easy for me, as I have the kind permission to share the article with you! Unfortunately for all my English-speaking readers, the article is in German. I am afraid you will miss out this time. I am sorry about that!

But, according to my site statistics the German readership of my blog and webpage has increased tremendously in the past two years and is actually leading in numbers, so here is a small special gift to all of you who are fluent in the German language. 🙂 Viel Spass beim lesen!

Please click on the image to be taken to a readable PDF version.

Magazin spread of the article in the Afrikapost Magazin (2/2014/Juni)

I hope you enjoyed the article! I would love to hear your thoughts about it!

Film production almost completed

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An Inifinte Scream – The Documentary: Trailer

How did you make this? Where do you get all your ideas? Why are you working with salt? And what is a Tokoloshe Trap?

Did you ever wonder about these things when you see my art? Well, this time you are lucky and soon you will get some answers.

Documenting SubRosa IRust (c)

We have made a documentary film about my latest land art project ‘…and I sensed and infinite scream passing through the Namib’. It gives you a great behind-the-scene glimpse into the project and an insight how I work and think.

You can join me in the exciting journey from the making of the artworks, the thoughts behind them, the challenges along the way and finally the exhibition. It is a personal portrait as much as a film about the art and its role in society.

Until we can finally publicly release the film, you can already view the trailer and check out the film’s webpage. It will give you a taste of what to expect in the full documentary once it is released. Do not forget to sign up for the blog to find out when and where it will be screened. (I will also keep you updated here.)

A great thank you, to filmmaker and my partner Steffen Holzkamp for the excellent work and the super-cool film. I am really looking forward to sharing the full film with everybody soon.

Click HERE to view the trailer (1:36min)

Making of the Salt Circles © Imke Rust

Making the barbed wire stems for the roses © Imke Rust

Exhibition to end gender based violence

Exhibition opening: 27 June @18h00, National Art Gallery of Namibia

BangBang

BangBang (Acrylic on hardboard, box-framed, 40 x 35cm by Imke Rust)

“BangBang” is a colourful, lighthearted and quirky artwork, open to interpretation. To me it speaks about the dance of love and relationships and their shadow sides, such as the often invisible power-struggles and emotional violence happening within relationships or stigmatization directed against gay people.

The dance of love (or any relationship) needs awareness, mutual respect and sensitivity. If we do not have that, the world seems upside down and we are spinning helplessly in a cycle of unconsciousness, leading to hurt and pain (or in the worst case violence).

Lets dance with each other in the beautiful consciousness that in each of us is a divine soul that needs to be acknowledged and nurtured.

The work is for sale. If you like it, why not come over to the National Art Gallery and buy it? 🙂

I am happy to announce that my artwork has been selected for the exhibition UNITE to End Gender Based Violence. It will be on show, amongst several other great artworks by Namibian artists, at the National Art Gallery of Namibia from the 28th of June till the 2nd of August 2013.

Don’t miss the opening, which takes place on the 27th of June 2013 at 18h00. Namibia’s First Lady, Madam Penehupifo Pohamba will be the keynote speaker. Unfortunately gender based violence is on the increase in our society and a pressing and disturbing problem which needs to be addressed. I hope that this exhibition can play an active role in making us aware that this issue concerns each of us and help us to find solutions.

If you are in Windhoek please come and see the exhibition and show your support for this important matter.

Unite to End Gender Based Violence Exhibition Poster

Pictures from the Opening

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Finally I have time to share some pictures of the opening of my latest solo-exhibition. It opened to great many people on Sunday the 9th of December in Swakopmund on the premises of “The Last Resort Well/ness Centre” (Yes, that is how it is written for a good reason). I did not count, but the newspaper said there were at least 150 people for the opening. And I got so much wonderful comments and feedback! Wow! Thank you to everybody who came! And those of you who have missed the opening, you still have time to see the exhibition (without the pushing and shoving of so many people) every afternoon between 14h00 and 18h00, except Sundays, till the 29th of December. I am at the exhibition all the time, if you would like to meet me. I would sure love to hear your thoughts, meet old and new friends and share my art with you!

All photographs taken by Steffen Holzkamp. (Copyright)

The opening speech, with Clinton Lang from “The Last Resort Well/ness Centre” in the middle.

An Infinite Scream – Press-Release

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SubRosa
Temporary site-specific art installation by Imke Rust

What do you do, when an arts association cancels your exhibition because they find it too political? And when a cultural centre asks you to change your exhibition proposal to hide the true message so that it might stand a chance of being shown? You make sure it gets shown anyway, in an unbiased space.

And so Imke Rust’s latest solo exhibition, entitled ‘… and I sensed an infinite scream passing through the Namib’ will open at “The Last Resort Wellness Centre” in Libertina Amathila Ave 5, Swakopmund (opposite of Hotel Pension A la Mer) on the 9^th of December at 17h00. It can be viewed thereafter till the 29^th of December, between 14h00 and 18h00, Mondays till Saturdays.

In this environmental art exhibition Imke Rust, who grew up in Swakopmund and is still closely connected to it, addresses the current debates and happenings concerning the plans for increased mining and industrial activities in the coastal area. In her work she uses a variety of media and approaches to highlight the concerns of the general public and to search for alternative solutions in the environmental conflict. While she is painting a gloomy picture of possible disastrous long-term effects of the current developments, she also reminds people of their responsibility to look after their land and that they have the power to make changes towards a better future.

Once more, Imke Rust has produced a powerful body of work, exploring and openly questioning social and political controversial issues. Central to the exhibition are temporary land art works that the artist has installed in the Namib Desert. At the exhibition these installations and interventions will be presented through photographic and video documentation. She evocatively combines natural and man-made materials such as thorns, salt, dung, rubbish bags, barbed wire and videos in her captivating artworks. She even got complete strangers involved in a documented art action for the environment on the jetty.

The artist neither preaches nor dictates what the viewer’s stance should be. Instead the exhibition draws you in and compels you to engage and consider the complexities of the debate. It is an empowering experience and should definitely not be missed.

A small part of the exhibition has already been shown in Berlin earlier this year, where it was received with great interest. Intriguingly the Swakopmund Arts Association has cancelled Rust’s booking of the Woermann Gallery on the premises that the “impertinent and unscientific public debate against the economically important uranium mining industry […] is politically charged“.

For more information please contact me via this blog and webpage or find my artist page on Facebook (and like it, if you are also on Facebook 🙂 ) or go directly to the Event’s page, also on Facebook.

Looking forward to seeing many of you at the opening or afterwards!

The Last Resort Well/ness Centre – Swakopmund
Libertina Amathila Ave 5

Save the date!

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You are invited!

“…and I sensed an infinite scream passing through the Namib”

An environmental art exhibition by Imke Rust

From the 9^th till the 29^th of December Imke Rust will show her latest body of work in Swakopmund. The exhibition addresses the current debates concerning the plans for increased mining and industrial activities in the coastal area. Through her diverse artworks she invites the viewer to engage in and consider the complexities of the controversial issues. The artist will be present at the opening.

Opening: 9^th of December at 17h00

Venue: The Last Resort Well/ness Centre, Libertina Amathila Str. 5, Swakopmund.

Duration of exhibition: 10^th – 29^th of December 2012

Opening Times: 14h00 – 18h00, Mondays till Saturdays

A rare chance to view my older works in Windhoek

I appeared back to back with Madonna in Berlin

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Yes, it is true. This weekend I appeared back to back with Madonna right here in Berlin. You are right, my musical talent sucks, but my art is getting more and more famous.

Ok, I did not appear on stage, but while the superstar Madonna got the front page of the cultural supplement of the German magazine “Der Tagesspiegel” this past weekend, my artwork appeared on the very next page – basically back to back.

I have to admit that I am not a fan of her music, but I do really admire how she has made it from a small unknown girl to become one of the most famous female musicians in the world, with pure guts, hard work and determination.

And I am just overly excited that I, a ‘small Namibian girl’, am having a solo exhibition in Berlin and getting a prominent mention in a leading newspaper… I hope that this is another ~~small~~ big step towards making my mark in Germany and get some more recognition (and sales) for my art. It would be wonderful if my artwork caught the eyes and attention of a small percentage of their 350 000 readers.

The more attention my art gets the more attention the subject and cause behind the exhibition will get: Raising the consciousness about our Namibian environment, especially the coastal area and Namib desert and the possible threats from the mining and other industries and pollution.

Here is a cut-out from the newspaper:

Tagesspiegel 30 June 2012 Cultural pages with a picture of my work SubRosa.

The caption says:

” Black barbed wire roses in the Namib. Today the exploitation looks differently than in the times of the German colonial power. The landscapes of Namibia are threatened by the mining of natural resources and pollution. The artist Imke Rust lives in Windhoek and Berlin. She protests with her ‘land art’ – here the installation “SubRosa” – against the destruction of the nature. “Goldgräberstimmung”: Photos and videos by Imke Rust can be viewed up to the 16^th of July in the Berlin Grafik Studio Galerie Neumann (Rigaer Str 62). “

If you are interested, you can read the online version of the “Tagesspiegel” here.

Info about the work:

SubRosa (Under the Rose) by Imke Rust

Temporary installation in the Namib Desert Dune belt south of Swakopmund.
22° 43’ 01” S – 14° 33’ 47” E
Original dimensions: 90 x 270 x270cm
99 roses made of black rubbish bags, barbed wire, wire
April 2012

The exhibition is officially declared open…

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The opening of my solo exhibition “Goldgräberstimmung” (Goldrush Mood) on Saturday has drawn people from all over Berlin to Rigaer Street 62 in Friedrichshain, Berlin – some even came all the way from Bremen and Leipzig. There were enough art-loving people and special friends to fill and keep the small space continuously bubbling for more than three hours.

What would art be, if nobody sees or experiences it?

So thank you to everybody who made the time and effort to be there and share the fruits of my work, thoughts and passion with me. For those who could not attend the opening, you still have a chance to see the works throughout the next four weeks (please see my previous blog-post for more details on the gallery’s opening times etc.)

Another big Thank You goes to Jens Garling who opened the exhibition for me, with a lively and wonderful speech, to the Neumann Galerie for hosting the exhibition and to Steffen Holzkamp for all the support before and during the opening.

I would love to post pictures of the artworks on my blog, but am not sure if it will spoil the interest for the people who would like to see the artworks in real? Please let me know what is your opinion: to show or not to show?

Till I have come to a decision, here are a few pictures of the opening: