Colors and shapes are everywhere. In nature, in the city and in the exhibition “Ways of Seeing Abstraction” in the PalaisPopulaire. Everything there revolves around abstract works of art. Abstract, that means without an object. So abstract art is created through the use of colors, shapes and lines. Which colors do you like, do you have a favorite shape? We explore the exhibition, talk about the pictures and let ourselves be inspired by particularly beautiful works of art for our own abstract collages.

The diverse possibilities of abstract art will be demonstrated in some works by contemporary artists in an exciting way during a joint digital tour. This variety of shapes and colors gives rise to questions about the possibilities of painting and drawing, photography and collage, their different effects and meanings. In a subsequent practical work, in which the aim is to combine different shapes and colors, the experiment of abstraction becomes a self-experiment.

Artist Zhang Xu Zhan comes from Taiwan, where stories have been told with paper figures for many centuries. Often they are about adventures, heroes and dragons. Together we will look at his stories in the exhibition and make paper figures ourselves. Set on a stick, we then create our own magical stories and bring them impressively on stage.

For centuries, mysterious stories have been told in Taiwan’s shadow theaters. Artist Zhang Xu Zhan grew up with this tradition. Together, we will view his artwork and then invite you to a picture theater of the story “Animal City” by Joan Negrescolor. In a jungle that overgrows the remains of a city, a girl tells a crowd of animals about a bygone world. The impressive pictures inspire us to develop our own magical stories and to stage them as shadow theater.

In cooperation with the bookstore Krumulus

In this course, everything revolves around the relationship between humans, animals, and nature. Based on the exhibition and paintings by artist Conny Maier, we talk about our thoughts, as well as our wishes and hopes. Using wire, paper, and papier-mâché, we will then invent our own ideal or dream world in which humans and animals live in harmony with nature.

The works of Brazilian artist Maxwell Alexandre are about racism in the media. Viewing and discussing his work serves as a starting point for you to talk about your own experiences with racism. How can one counter hostilities due to nationality, skin color, or sexual orientation, take a stance, and enter into dialogue with people? The workshop provides impulses for approaching this important social issue.