Slavs and Tartars
Saturday, 28 February 2026
Work from Simurgh.
“The solo exhibition by the Berlin-based international collective Slavs and Tatars takes its title from Simurgh, a majestic, mythological bird-like creature with references to Persianate, Turkic, and other Eurasian histories. The Simurgh story, rich in themes of unity and the interconnectedness of all living beings, offers important insights into the idea of coexistence and its relation to democracy, representational politics, self-governance,and the construction of hope. Through various media – from sound to glasswork, textiles to mirrors – Simurgh invites us to engage in a conversation on existence, living together, and belonging, transforming the Staatliche Kunsthalle Baden-Baden into a space for self-discovery and conviviality.
Simurgh includes newly commissioned works that connect this Eurasian creature to the context of Baden-Baden and Baden-Württemberg through the tradition of living, regenerating tales, fables, and mythologies, such as those of the Black Forest. Selected works by the pioneering conceptual artist Marcel Broodthaers (1924–1976) will feature in the exhibition promenade as referential forms, alongside a sound-based installation by Istanbul-based artist Cevdet Erek. These elements extend the horizons of Simurgh symbolically, architecturally, and sonically. The artists aim to build upon Broodthaers’ seminal work Musée d’Art Moderne: Département des Aigles (1968–71) – where the role of the eagle in French and German heraldry, literature, and history is deconstructed – by replacing the eagle, a nationalist symbol, with the Simurgh, a figure that is decidedly transnational, if not metaphysical.” – Kunsthalle Baden-Baden