What We Can Only See Together

For his exhibition Nobody Ran, the artist Andrey Klassen has transformed drawings into paper-cut silhouettes and sculptures. They stand and hang freely in the space, casting large shadows onto the walls. This creates a world between light and darkness, in which outlines and shadows tell mysterious stories. Various motifs come together in the space, such as images from Hamburg’s city history, as well as figures taking selfies on their mobile phones.

Andrey Klassen’s work explores the fine line between illusion and reality. Drawing on motifs from the Great Fire of Hamburg and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, the exhibition highlights fire as a force that is both destructive and enlightening. It also draws attention to a present in which ecological crises and collective denial overlap.

During the workshop, the children look closely at the images and share their observations with the art educator, Tessa Hinz. They consider what stories might lie behind the shadows. What do we recognise at first glance? What images spring to mind? What is reality? And what is an illusion?

Playful exercises in perception open up a creative process that combines drawing, book design, collage and paper cutting. Experiments with a thermal imaging camera open up new perspectives and help participants to see familiar things in a different light. The resulting works are ultimately incorporated into a collaborative artwork that brings together individual perspectives. The workshop fosters critical thinking and individual artistic expression, whilst placing a particular focus on the power of community and collaboration.