CHOOSING MY RELIGION

Religion is a highly topical social issue that is met with the greatest ambivalence. In certain cultural circles, religious sentiment has become interchangeable. Just as one defines one’s own lifestyle and identity in a society offering multiple options, so too does one determine how – and indeed whether – one practises spirituality and faith: ‘Choosing my Religion’, as it were. Consequently, religion is taking on a wide variety of forms and facets, particularly in the Western world. In other cultural circles, however, society is largely shaped and sustained by religion. At the same time, we are confronted globally with religious fundamentalism, which in some places has become a source of conflict and violence.

The exhibition *Choosing my Religion* explores the relationship between religion and society and the role of faith in our contemporary world. It focuses on artistic works that engage with individual aspects of this complex subject area, tracing the intersection between the religious and society. ‘Choosing my Religion’ is not an exhibition of contemporary Christian or religious art. It distinguishes itself from other exhibitions on the subject of religion precisely because it features neither depictions of religious content nor visualisations of the supernatural. Artists from diverse cultural backgrounds and with varied religious experiences have been invited to participate, ensuring a multifaceted approach to the exhibition’s theme.

Artists featured in the exhibition:
Thomas Bayrle (Germany, b. 1937), James Hopkins (UK, b. 1976), Olaf Metzel (Germany, b. 1952), Valérie Mréjen (France, b. 1969), Paul Pfeiffer (USA, b. 1966), Shirana Shahbazi (Iran, b. 1974), Wael Shawky (Egypt, b. 1971), Dominik Stauch (Switzerland, b. 1962), Lidwien van de Ven (Netherlands, b. 1963), Mark Wallinger (UK, b. 1959), Sislej Xhafa (Kosovo, b. 1970) / Adel Abdessemed (Algeria, b. 1971)