We cordially invite you to the next opening on 13 September 2024 at 18:30 at CUBIC, where the artist Lydia Klammer will be presented as the winner of our annual call for entries! The artist will be present on the evening of the Greifswald Culture Night. She will present an installation that emerged from a performance.

The performance ‘An vollen Töpfen verhungern’ (Starving on full pots) is a haunting portrayal that examines the connection between the individual and their environment. The performer wears a white full-body suit that covers her almost completely, leaving only a small hole where her mouth is. In front of her is a table on which is a plate with spinach, mashed potatoes and a fried egg along with cutlery.

In the midst of a surreal-looking scene, characterised by an unconventional arrangement of bizarre objects on a white wall, including letters without meaning, a golden beetle, origami butterflies, a ceramic picture of a squirrel and a neon unicorn, the performer begins the challenge of eating.

Using a knife and fork, she desperately tries to transport the food through the tiny hole at the opening of her mouth, but the size of the opening makes this an arduous and frustrating task. Her tongue struggles through the tightness to catch a small taste.

During the process, the white full-body suit becomes increasingly soiled, especially in the head area, the green of the spinach, the yellow of the egg and the mashed potato leave their mark, and the performer is thus physically confronted with the food and the difficulties associated with it.

This performance, which takes place without an audience, was captured in photographic documentation and is now exhibited in the form of an installation. The reconstruction of the scene includes the table, the chair, the plate, the cutlery and the unconventionally decorated wall. A photo of the original performance complements the installation, which invites the viewer to understand the physical and communicative challenges of the performer and to reflect on the importance of interaction and food intake in our modern society.

The socio-critical performance works with the fragmentation of reality and emphasises the diversity and complexity of our experiences. It points to the absurdity of certain social norms, cultural conventions and superficialities and invites the viewer to question our consumer culture.

Text & Photos: Lydia Klammer