Odradek

In the short story 'Familjefaderns bekymmer', first published in 1919, Franz Kafka introduces the intentionally undefined protagonist Odradek. Odradek is both a thing - an object, which he describes as a bundle of carelessly tangled threads - and a being, which is able to move, speak and even laugh. It is also, and above all, a word, seemingly without roots in any language. Odradek is wide open to interpretation, but primarily it emphasizes the ability of a careful look or careful attention to give life to the inanimate and blur the boundaries between object and subject.

Eight artists have been invited to the exhibition Odradek at Malmö Konsthall. Their work transcends the entrenched duality between subject and object, often involving the viewer in processes characterized by attention, care and participation. The exhibition tries to show connections and kinship between the artists' ways of working, despite their different backgrounds and ages: Nairy Baghramian (born 1971, Iran), Katinka Bock (born 1976, Germany), Henri Jacobs (born 1957, Netherlands), Laura Lamiel (born 1948, France), Judith Scott (1943–2005, United States), Hassan Sharif (1951–2016, United Arab Emirates), Oscar Tuazon (born 1975, United States) and Franz Erhard Walther (born 1939, Germany).