Spot on bangaloREsidents 2024

Meet them... get to know their art practice... exchange ideas... be involved... be excited...

10 artists from Germany recently arrived in Bangalore and will live and work in collaboration with 9 of our bangaloREsidency hosts for 6 to 8 weeks. As always we look forward to exciting results. Each one is involved in a different area of the arts and will leave a creative mark on the cultural canvas of the City during their stay.

Besides introducing us to their artistic oeuvre and realising their own projects, one of the most enduring aspects of the bangaloREsidency is the intimate interaction and exchange with Bangaloreans. As a kick-off, we present all the artists in our flagship pecha kucha-style, rapid fire, multimedia presentation: Spot on bangaloREsidents.
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Chelsea Leventhal is a sound artist who captures the interplay between urban environments and the invisible labour that sustains them. During her residency at Maraa, Chelsea will record the sounds of daily wage workers in Bangalore’s Koramangala Slum Cluster, creating soundscapes that bring their stories to life. Her project emphasises the importance of listening to the marginalised voices of the city, inviting audiences to reflect on the socio-economic fabric of Bangalore.
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Felix Baßler, a photographer from Germany, merges analogue photography techniques with surrealism. At Kāṇike, Felix will expand his slit-scan technique to capture the diverse street life of Bangalore, blending reality with dreamlike distortions. His unique approach offers a fresh perspective on Bangalore’s vibrant urban landscape, capturing moments that are both familiar and otherworldly.
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Firat Yildiz, a DJ and electronic music artist, explores the cultural significance of carpets as both a medium and metaphor. At the Indian Sonic Research Organisation (ISRO), his residency focuses on carpets as an artistic reflection of global social networks and cultural heritage. Firat’s project weaves together history, memory, and identity through sound, creating a sonic representation of migration and interconnectedness.
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Frida Teller, a researcher and artist from Leipzig, merges art and activism to address climate change and urban development. At the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS), her project incorporates papermaking and participatory interventions to turn urban research into creative, tactile forms. With a background in cultural anthropology and climate politics, Frida’s work invites the public to engage with scientific knowledge through artistic mediums, prompting deeper reflections on climate action and urban ecosystems.
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Gözde Ju explores memory and identity through a multidisciplinary approach that includes sewing, photography, and video. During her residency at 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery, Gözde will research traditional textile techniques used by women in Bangalore, uncovering the cultural narratives embedded in handcrafted objects. Her work reflects on the intersection of tradition and modernity, focusing on the stories carried by textiles and the women who create them.
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Iz Paehr explores the connections between natural resources, communication systems, and global power dynamics. During their residency at NCBS Archives, Iz investigates the role of the gutta-percha tree in telegraph networks, highlighting its ecological and political implications. Their work draws comparisons between colonial-era telegraphy and modern internet infrastructure, focusing on the environmental impact and accessibility of these systems. Iz's project encourages us to rethink how global networks affect society and the environment.
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Keno Langbein is a Berlin-based musician and multimedia artist who explores themes of community, politics, and identity through experimental soundscapes. During his residency at the Indian Music Experience Museum, Keno will immerse himself in Bangalore’s soundscapes, collecting and experimenting with field recordings.
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Meike Redeker is a visual artist who uses performance to challenge the boundaries between daily life and staged experiences. At Abhinaya Taranga, Meike will collaborate with local theatre students to create performances in public spaces, questioning where reality ends and performance begins. Her project blurs the lines between acting and real life, offering audiences a new perspective on the performative aspects of everyday interactions in Bangalore.
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Nancy Hammermeister’s work transforms ordinary gestures into metaphors for human emotions. In her residency at 1Shanthiroad Studio/Gallery, Nancy’s project, open your fingers and you understand the world, focuses on the rituals of hands in daily life. By capturing the repetitive, spiritual gestures made by hands, Nancy reveals the subtle ways in which the body communicates memories, emotions, and culture, reflecting the rhythm of urban life in Bangalore.
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Robert B. Lisek is a mathematician, composer, and artist working at the intersection of quantum physics, AI, and bioengineering. His project with Science Gallery Bengaluru, Quantum Agents, uses quantum computing to control virtual agents, exploring the ethical, ecological, and societal implications of these technologies. Robert's work pushes the boundaries of how we think about technology, challenging participants to engage with the future of AI in new and thought-provoking ways.
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The bangaloREsidency is a long-standing initiative by the Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Bangalore and has hosted over 150 artists since 2012. This programme connects German artists with diverse cultural spaces in Bangalore, fostering interdisciplinary projects and Indo-German artistic exchange. Through residencies in varied organisations, from archives to urban research centres, artists engage deeply with the local culture, creating projects that challenge conventional art forms and invite public dialogue.

The residency programme encourages reciprocal exchange, with the bangaloREsidency-Expanded facilitating residencies for Indian artists in Germany. This international platform offers rich possibilities for creative collaboration, intercultural dialogue, and lasting artistic relationships.

Entry free! All are welcome.
First-come, first-seated.