Artists

Mona Schulzek

Press release

SUBDUE THE EARTH. This verse from the biblical creation story has characterised mankind’s relationship with nature for centuries. It has been understood as a call to care – but at the same time as a legitimisation of domination and exploitation.

For Ordnung 01, Mona Schulzek explores the ambiguity of this statement. Language is never neutral – it shapes our perception and influences social structures. When political parties with Christian roots ally themselves with actors who propagate control and hierarchy, the idea of subjugation remains powerful. And now that humans have subjugated the earth, they are also turning their attention to the cosmos and claiming other planets for themselves.
Communication between terrestrial and extraterrestrial beings plays a central role in Schulzek’s work: she sees art as a universal, cosmic language that transcends domination and power structures.

The exhibition venue, an underground car park and a ‘non-place’, reflects the meaning of the word ‘subject’: a hierarchy, a relationship of dependence and power. Who rises above whom? Who claims control? Who is made a subject?

Invited by Fiona Borowski

Mona Schulzek graduated from the Düsseldorf Art Academy in 2023 under Professor Gregor Schneider.