Art is beautiful, but it can also hurt. This well-known sentiment in German discourse refers not only to the emotional impact of artworks but also to the conditions under which art is created. For some time, this discourse was directed at Joe Chialo, former Senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, who resigned from office during the exhibition’s preparation.
But questions remain, regardless of any specific individual: What is art? A game, an expression of pure inspiration – or is it work, with everything that entails: effort, doubt, material costs, market pressures, the struggle to survive? The exhibition “Art is Work” brings together artistic approaches that address such questions in different ways – sometimes directly, sometimes subtly, at times with wit, at other times with dramatic intensity.