an exhibition by Irène Mélix
atelier automatique, BOCHUM
25.05. – 27.06.2025
The artist Irène Mélix was a guest in Katowice in Silesia for a bicycle residency in 2024. A region that is still strongly characterized by its mining history is facing the challenges and opportunities of socio-ecological change due to the closure of the last mines there. Many of the issues that affect the Ruhr region also concern people in Silesia and can be seen in the landscapes or cycled through. In solidarity with the people of Katowice, the project Sztandary dla Śląska (Banner for Silesia) was created, a series of flags that will now be on display at atelier automatique. The flags tell of past and present struggles for self-determination, jobs, solidarity and ecological transformation. For the Bochum exhibition, Irène Mélix created two further flags that relate directly to local history and will be on display together with their Silesian counterparts: Sztandary dla Śląska i Zagłębia Ruhry, i.e. banners for Silesia and the Ruhr region.
Exhibition talk with Irène Mélix and other guests: 27.06.2025, 6 pm.
Critical Mass Bochum with the flags: 27.06.2025, 7 pm.
