Chiara Valci Mazzara

The Kunstverein am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz is pleased to present P.OST, the first institutional solo exhibition in Germany by Polish artist Mateusz Choróbski. Conceived specifically for the architecture and historical context of the Kunstverein, the exhibition unfolds across sound, video, light, and sculptural installations, forming an interconnected landscape that reflects on memory, transformation, and the shifting identities of Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz.

Working with video, installation, performance, sound, and sculpture, Choróbski often places the human body and architecture on equal footing. His practice examines what remains after systems—economic, political, material—reach their breaking point by exploring – e.g. – decaying modernist structures, the weight of debt, the materiality of bodies resting on anti-bedsore mattresses. In his work, these remnants become the starting points for a wider reflection on vulnerability and resilience.

At the heart of P.OST lies an investigation of nostalgia and the notion of an idealized past, particularly in moments of crisis and uncertainty. Drawing on the layered history of Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and invoking the now-lost OST sign on Berlin’s iconic Volksbühne, as well as the work of architect Hans Poelzig, who designed most houses on the square,  Choróbski interrogates how places carry competing memories,and how these memories shift and evolve over time. Through the interplay of light, sound, and the transformation of familiar materials, the exhibition invites visitors to encounter the familiar as if it were newly formed.

Already in the foyer, visitors encounter a door handle cast from melted Polish one-grosz brass coins, modeled after Poelzig’s iconic handle designs for the Babylon Cinema in Berlin and the former Philosophy Department at Goethe University Frankfurt. Worth so little they are often ignored, the coins gain new value through the act of melting and recasting – an allegory for the way art can elevate the overlooked into new forms and meanings. As visitors notice the rough, uneven surface of the handle, a looped recording of air being drawn into the lungs becomes audible inside the entrance corridor. The building seems to inhale with the visitor, creating a moment suspended between anticipation and encounter. This initial contact activates the transitional spaces of the Kunstverein, transforming the entrance to the show – as area and as gesture –  into a quasi-organism that mirrors the intimate, visceral moment just before expression, before speaking, singing, or stepping onto a stage.

Upon entering the first gallery, visitors encounter a large-scale installation composed of various melted glass panels illuminated by LED strips that recreate the light recorded on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz the day before. A custom sensor transfers this temporal data into the space, allowing yesterday’s light to reappear today. The irregular, organic surfaces of the glass contrast with the rigid steel mesh embedded within, creating a shifting line of material and immaterial luminosity. With the LED source concealed, the light appears to emanate from within the glass itself—a subtle echo of a past moment embedded in the present.

In the adjacent room, Choróbski presents an additional large-format installation of melted reinforced-glass panels incorporating fused remnants of the artist’s earlier unused works. Mounted on stainless-steel stands and slightly elevated above the floor, the panels form a trapezoidal structure that evokes associations with a stage, a screen, or an altar—forms historically tied to representation, ritual, and display. From the street outside, the work becomes a kind of shadow theatre: blurred outlines and shifting silhouettes of visitors inside animate the surface, shaped by two light objects positioned at the back of the room. In this way, spectators themselves complete the work, activating its meaning through their own movements and presence.

In a final gesture that connects interior and exterior, the separate window room features a video projection of the left hand of a conductor performing a piece from the 1920 silent film Golem: How He Came into the World,for which Hans Poelzig created the expressionist set that had a decisive impact on the film’s mystical lighting. . The innovative use of light in the film – ranging from the Golem’s awakening to projections depicting Jewish history in the imperial palace – is echoed in this installation. Projected directly onto the window, the hand becomes both a guiding gesture and a presence attuned to the rhythms of public space. It reflects the ebb and flow of collective emotion surrounding Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz, underscoring how the square continues to function as a site of tension, movement, and shared experience. – Chiara Valci Mazzara –

Mateusz Choróbski (b. 1987, Radomsko) graduated from the University of the Arts in Poznań and the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw. He works across sculpture, installation, video, performance, and sound, engaging with architectural history, material transformation, and the conditions of contemporary life. Selected institutional solo exhibitions include: H.aven, Éva Kahán Foundation, Vienna (2024); Hide And Seek, Fabbrica del Vapore, Milan (2023); What the Barbarians Did Not Do, Opole Centre for Contemporary Art (2021); Mateusz Choróbski, Fondazione Nicola Del Roscio, Rome (2019); and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Manifesta 11, Zurich (performance, 2016).

The Adam Mickiewicz Institute (IAM) brings Polish culture to people around the world. As a state institution, it creates lasting interest in Polish culture and art through strengthening the presence of Polish artists on the global stage. It initiates innovative projects, supports international cooperation and cultural exchange. It promotes the work of both established and promising artists, showing the diversity and richness of our culture. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute is also responsible for the Culture.pl website, a comprehensive source of knowledge about Polish culture. More information: www.iam.pl.

The Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation (SDPZ/FWPN) fosters good relations between Poland and Germany. For over 30 years, it has co-financed 16,000 bilateral projects, supporting partnerships between institutions, educational initiatives, scientific collaboration, and artistic and literary exchange. The Foundation also initiates its own projects—study visits, scholarships, publications, and debates—to inspire dialogue and strengthen Polish-German cooperation in a modern, open, and socially just European context. More information: sdpz.org