Places of transit such as train stations or public squares are sites where social divisions may become particularly visible, for example, Leopoldplatz in Berlin or the area around the Drob Inn, a contact and counselling centre providing drug consumption rooms not far from Hamburg Central Station. Addiction, homelessness and acute survival strategies collide here with urban mobility, shopping, art and culture. Precisely at this crystallisation point, Daniel Hopp’s work sets in.
At the centre of his first institutional solo exhibition is the multi-part film installation Fictional Healing. In this work, the artist questions stigmatizing narratives associated with addiction and introduces images of care that open up new scope for action. Blending humour and seriousness, the immersive installation forms a resonant whole in which collective imagination enables self-empowerment. Based on his own experiences, Daniel Hopp develops docu-fictional film scenes in relationship-oriented processes together with people affected by addiction. Their personal histories, dreams and fantasies are explored in interviews and subsequently interpreted by amateur and professional actors. In addition, a series of video portraits provides insights into the protagonists’ lives.
Within a monumental spatial architecture, films and AI-generated images converge to create a powerful experience, borne by a soundscape that unfolds across the entire hall. The exhibition highlights social issues and reveals how reality, documentation, collective imagination and cinematic fiction can become intertwined – resulting in a work that is both touching and unsettling, and raises questions about responsibility, representation and the necessary conditions for participation.
The special guest of the opening is producer and DJ Johannes Haas, also known as L.F.T, who composed the sound of the installation. From 9 pm, he will play a DJ set, extending the musical layer of the show to the foyer.
Curated by Anna Nowak
The film Fictional Healing, created especially for the exhibition, was produced by Ania Kolyszko (creative producer, ania maria wanda).
Kindly supported by Moin Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Hamburgische Kulturstiftung and Claussen-Simon-Stiftung.
