The children’s game Rock, Paper, Scissors is often played when making decisions; the stronger hand gesture determines the winner. But strength is always relative. Paper is stronger than rock, but rock prevails over scissors, which in turn defeats paper. The title of the group exhibition Paper, Rock, Scissors, which revolves around the materials and tools of art, alludes to this game. The materials artists choose and how they work with them is based on their abilities, perceptions, and preferences within the context of their life experiences and childhood. The exhibition presents works that allow a young audience in particular to experience the specific interrelationships between biography, history, and artistic work in sensory-oriented and aesthetic way.

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Paper, Rock, Scissors also brings renowned artistic positions into dialogue with historical artifacts. Themes like the future but also the history of everyday materials and tools (sustainability and technological development) are just as important as the question of when craftsmanship becomes art.

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The exhibition also offers an opportunity to experience the innate social dimension of aesthetic material as well as the inherent ambiguousness of each material and tool: paper is not only a visual medium prized for its lightness it can also stand for exclusion, at least when the paper is not “right.” The French term “sans papiers” refers to those with identity papers that are not recognized in their country of residence.

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Rock evokes traditional sculpture, the body, space, and sheltering architecture. At the same time, rock can stand for immobility, isolation, and distance—in contrast to dwellings made of textiles or paper. Scissors are an indispensable tool for creating new shapes. But they can also cause injury and have a separating rather than connecting effect—such as folding paper.

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The layout of the 400-square-meter exhibition space—with three walls, transparent glass facades looking out on the surrounding park, and a centrally positioned support column—offers a variety of possibilities for experiencing and engaging with art. In addition to traditional presentations, environments for sensory exploration are also developed in dialogue with the works. Curved, organically shaped collapsible partitions create distinct areas within the space; their use of color, lighting, varying heights, and tactile materials is specifically designed for a young audience in mind while providing a variety of possible uses.

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-Mona Jas