Win-Win Lottery

Kassel, 2022

From 18 June to 25 September 2022, artists Hannes Egger and Thomas Sterna have rented an exhibition space at KulturBahnhof Kassel and given other artists a chance to win a one-week presentation slot during documenta fifteen. Leaving the decision up to chance rather than a panel of experts, any artist, curator or exhibition organiser interested could enter the prize draw by simply purchasing a raffle ticket. The 13 winners, selected in a total of four draws, were then free to show their works without any requirements regarding content and/or aesthetic input. But not all winners decided to exhibit their own works: Some organised group exhibitions, others gave their slot away. The results varied greatly and were surprising, often breaking with conventional notions of art and standards of evaluation.
The project ended with a panel discussion in the ruruHaus at documenta fifteen with the curatorial team ruangrupa.

22/07/-26/07/22 – LucasMartell: La Libertad ES

Opening: Friday, 22/07/22 – 8.30 pm

Exhibition: Saturday, 23/07/22 – Wednesday, 27/07/22: 0–24

This portal is not material. It is a refuge.
Lucas Martell

La Libertad ES, curated by Rachel Rogerson, dives deep into the artist’s well through newsreels recorded on VHS by the artist’s family, remembrances, and imagined ephemera. Traditionally a painter, Lucas Martell uses the inheritance that has informed his abstractions to connect one point to another. This new project uncovers magical realism, generational trauma, and joy. Martell interviewed family, discussing the profound footage that details their personal migration story from war-torn El Salvador to the United States. Family stories morph and degrade over time; Martell states that this project opened a portal that helped him understand his family’s lived experiences, allowing him to seek refuge in a previously unreachable and clouded past.

Hannes Egger