25 March 21

in German

„Fahrenbühl is a remote artists’ residence inhabited by two mice. It’s the most beautiful place in the world. Rural life, they say, offers peace and contemplation. And yet, the dreariness of seclusion soon dampens the spirits. Maintaining paradise requires a radical approach. In this respect, a mouse is no different from God.”
 
The latest comic by Anna Haifisch is set in Fahrenbühl – a fictional, remote artists’ residency which becomes an outlet for fundamental questions about artistic production, oscillating between loneliness, ambition, inspiration, and external scrutiny. The function of an artists’ residency, offering a temporary promise of freedom and security for artists, is addressed here. Due to mistrust and sabotage among the artists in residence, the paradisiacal environment begins to disintegrate in „Residenz Fahrenbühl”. Haifisch, who was supposed to participate in an artist residency in the US that had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, portrays a feeling of anxiety that is not unlike the psychological state experienced during the lockdown: attempting to concentrate while notions of global connectivity persist. 
 
In the context of Amelie von Wulffen’s solo exhibition at KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Anna Haifisch presents a digital reading of the German comic Residenz Fahrenbühl, which Spector Books will publish in March.
 
Anna Haifisch (*1986) is an artist and comic artist. She lives and works in Leipzig. Together with friends, she founded the comic festival The Millionaires Club in 2013, which takes place annually during the Leipzig Book Fair. Over the past few years, she published numerous books, for example, Gnocchi Gnocchi – Who’s There?(2020), Schappi (2019), I can’t find my shoes (2019), The Mouse Glass (2018) and THE ARTIST (2016). Her work has been exhibited at GfZK Museum für zeitgenössische Kunst, Leipzig (2020); Riso Club, Leipzig (2019); Mount Analog, Seattle (2019); Museum Gunzenhauser, Chemnitz (2017) and at Halle für Kunst Lüneburg (2018), among others. In 2020, she was awarded the Max und Moritz Award for Best German-Speaking Comic Artist.