Exhibition Opening "Özlem Günyol & Mustafa Kunt. Ratatataa"

Özlem Günyol (*1977) and Mustafa Kunt (*1978) have been collaborating in Frankfurt am Main since 2007. The Städtische Galerie Karlsruhe is dedicating a comprehensive exhibition to the artist duo, featuring new and past projects. Their works address socio-political and historical questions by examining the significance of language and symbols in discourses about power and authority. They have received multiple awards for their precise and versatile installations, most recently the HAP-Grieshaber Prize in 2017.

A central concern of their work is the reflection on identity formation, which is shaped by cultural, social, and political contexts: In Hemzemin (2014), for example, they transformed a flagpole into a ground plate, thereby disempowering the symbol of national representation. In Flags (2009), they overlay the flags of all nations into a black surface, questioning the power of representational signs. Their works are characterized by a precise and versatile artistic practice that connects socially critical themes with aesthetic autonomy.