In a garden state
Cracow, 19.09.2025 - 17.10.2025
Artists:
Malte Taffner
Malte Taffner
Malte Taffner's artistic practice centers on the relationship between humans and the environment and explores the possibilities of interspecies coexistence within the framework of feminist posthumanism. His approach is transdisciplinary and interspecies, engaging both human and nonhuman actors in artistic research processes.During his stay in Krakow, Taffner created a new series of works that combines his collected impressions of landscape, nature, architecture, and urban space with the relationship between humans and the environment and questions about sustainable coexistence.
The central work is the ongoing photographic series "On the Necessity of Gardening," which—inspired by the book of the same title—reflects on the tension between care, cultivation, and the relationship between nature and culture. The series is complemented by fabrics dyed with local plants, creating an abstract portrait of local flora. Taffner also utilizes the designs for the facades of the Stary Teatr in Krakow, which were transferred onto wood using a CNC milling machine.The "In A Garden State" exhibition thus opens a multi-layered exploration of the relationship between nature and culture.Taffner also draws on the designs for the facades of the Stary Teatr in Krakow, which were transferred onto wood using a CNC milling machine.The "In A Garden State" exhibition thus opens a multi-layered area of references and materials that combines nature, technology, and culture, encouraging us to reflect on our relationship with the environment and the possibilities of a shared, sustainable world.Flux is a residency and artistic exchange project between Leipzig and Krakow. These cities become spaces for dialogue between artists, history and the present, the individual and the community. He explores how places shape artistic identity and how traces of the past interact with contemporary creative practices. The exhibition is the culmination of the project.The project is co-financed by the Department of Culture of the City of Krakow, the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, and the European Foundation for Education and Culture, supported by the Polish Institute in Leipzig and Berlin.
Malte Taffner
1994, Rinteln, Germany
lives and works in Leipzig
Malte Taffner studied fine arts at the Braunschweig School of Fine Arts (HBK) and Seika University in Kyoto, Japan, additionally earning qualifications in art education. In 2021, he completed his master's studies (Meisterschüler) under Raimund Kummer.His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad, including: A Fragment of Eden at the Kestner Gesellschaft in Hannover (2022), IF WE OPENED PEOPLE UP, WE'D FIND LANDSCAPES at artrmx in Cologne (2021), and Soft Capsules at the Kunstverein Braunschweig (2021).
Taffner is the recipient of numerous scholarships, including from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes Foundation and the Stiftung Kunstfonds.
In addition to his artistic practice, he also works as a curator. He co-founded the Kombinat e.V. association, on whose board he has served since 2023, actively involved in the organization and implementation of exhibitions and the residency program. In 2024, he founded Kunstraum Hombyo (KRH), where he curates exhibitions and other cultural events. He also co-founded the Internationales Kunstzentrum Petersberg (IKZP) – an exhibition space in a former Stasi nuclear bunker.
The central work is the ongoing photographic series "On the Necessity of Gardening," which—inspired by the book of the same title—reflects on the tension between care, cultivation, and the relationship between nature and culture. The series is complemented by fabrics dyed with local plants, creating an abstract portrait of local flora. Taffner also utilizes the designs for the facades of the Stary Teatr in Krakow, which were transferred onto wood using a CNC milling machine.The "In A Garden State" exhibition thus opens a multi-layered exploration of the relationship between nature and culture.Taffner also draws on the designs for the facades of the Stary Teatr in Krakow, which were transferred onto wood using a CNC milling machine.The "In A Garden State" exhibition thus opens a multi-layered area of references and materials that combines nature, technology, and culture, encouraging us to reflect on our relationship with the environment and the possibilities of a shared, sustainable world.Flux is a residency and artistic exchange project between Leipzig and Krakow. These cities become spaces for dialogue between artists, history and the present, the individual and the community. He explores how places shape artistic identity and how traces of the past interact with contemporary creative practices. The exhibition is the culmination of the project.The project is co-financed by the Department of Culture of the City of Krakow, the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation, and the European Foundation for Education and Culture, supported by the Polish Institute in Leipzig and Berlin.
Malte Taffner
1994, Rinteln, Germany
lives and works in Leipzig
Malte Taffner studied fine arts at the Braunschweig School of Fine Arts (HBK) and Seika University in Kyoto, Japan, additionally earning qualifications in art education. In 2021, he completed his master's studies (Meisterschüler) under Raimund Kummer.His work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions at home and abroad, including: A Fragment of Eden at the Kestner Gesellschaft in Hannover (2022), IF WE OPENED PEOPLE UP, WE'D FIND LANDSCAPES at artrmx in Cologne (2021), and Soft Capsules at the Kunstverein Braunschweig (2021).
Taffner is the recipient of numerous scholarships, including from the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes Foundation and the Stiftung Kunstfonds.
In addition to his artistic practice, he also works as a curator. He co-founded the Kombinat e.V. association, on whose board he has served since 2023, actively involved in the organization and implementation of exhibitions and the residency program. In 2024, he founded Kunstraum Hombyo (KRH), where he curates exhibitions and other cultural events. He also co-founded the Internationales Kunstzentrum Petersberg (IKZP) – an exhibition space in a former Stasi nuclear bunker.
