Daniel Hopp

Located not far from the Kunsthaus, near Hamburg Central Station, is the Drob Inn: a low-threshold contact and drug counselling centre with rooms for consumption. It is a place where experiences of addiction, hardship and homelessness clash with urban mobility, consumerism and culture. Precisely at this crystallisation point of social divisions, Daniel Hopp’s work sets in.

At the centre of his first institutional solo exhibition at the Kunsthaus Hamburg is the multi-part film installation Fictional Healing. In this work, the artist questions social narratives revolving around addiction and social exclusion, and creates new images of care, humaneness and scope for action. Blending everyday life and change, humour and seriousness, the immersive installation forms a resonant whole. Based on the concept of collective imagination, a space for self-empowerment emerges. Hopp’s personal experiences with addiction and social marginalisation likewise play a significant role in his relationship-oriented artistic processes. Together with people affected by addiction, he has developed a docu-fictional film in which biographical experiences, dreams and fantasies are translated into cinematic scenes and subsequently interpreted by professional actors. In addition, several short documentary films allow visitors to share in the life stories of various protagonists.

Hopp thereby addresses major social issues: How do we view and talk about addiction and social divisions, along with the places where these become visible? His work gives those affected a voice and visibility. He subverts common narratives of stigmatisation and deficit, thus opening up new perspectives on empathy, participation and social responsibility.

Curated by Anna Nowak