Im Rücken die Alte Ordnung (he she they walked)—Artist talk by Natascha Sadr Haghighian

Having her work “Ankersentrum (surviving in the ruinous ruin)” for the German Pavilion 2019 at the 58th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia as a starting point, Natascha Sadr Haghighian, also known as Natascha Süder Happelmann, invited by the Goethe-Institut Athen and Onassis Stegi, will talk about her art practice. Haghighian’s mixed-media work deals mostly with issues of transparency and collectivity —often in collaboration with other artists and collectives. Large installations are connected with in-situ performances, publications and online contributions, thus forming an interspecific space for Haghighian’s artwork. The focus of this work is the “way”, i.e. how something is shaped and arranged. The title of Natascha Sadr Haghighian’s solo exhibition, currently presented at the Galerie für Zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, is “Im Rücken die Alte Ordnung (he she they walked)”, which focuses on forms of resistance and solidarity, while also developing “artistic protocols” of testimony.

The talk is organized within the context of Movement Festival (1920–2020), a festival beyond and between borders, curated by DETACH (VOLTNOI & QUETEMPO).

Natascha Sadr Haghighian is an artist known for assuming multiple identities. Her official press releases and gallery biographies conflict on country of origin, date of birth, and place of residence. Haghighian was chosen to represent Germany at the 2019 Venice Biennale. She created the persona of Natascha Süder Happelmann for public aspects of the installation and wore a mask during the press conference announcing the nomination. As the artist's representative, Helene Duldung read a statement and answered questions on her behalf.