37 * HAVE A LOOK

[Lars Schumacher]

37 * HAVE A LOOK – Donation Schumacher Collection explores the collection not simply as an archive of artistic objects, but as a living testament to international exchange, artistic friendship and the enduring desire to connect through art. At the heart of the exhibition are significant donations by artists Sharon Silverman (Boston, USA) and Angela Netmail (Germany / Spain), who have entrusted substantial parts of their own artistic practices, together with selected works and publications from their personal collections, to the Schumacher Collection. These generous contributions represent more than an enrichment of an existing collection; they embody an act of trust, solidarity and shared cultural commitment. They also reveal the deeply personal relationships and networks through which independent artistic cultures are formed, preserved and passed on.

The exhibition brings together an extraordinary diversity of international original works and printed matter, including art magazines, zines, fanzines, artist books, publications and editions of artist stamps. These often intimate and experimental formats offer an insight into artistic practices that have developed beyond conventional institutional structures and established art market mechanisms. Particularly within the international Mail Art movement, the printed page, the artist's book and the postal object have become important vehicles for communication, artistic freedom and transnational collaboration. For the first time, all newly acquired artist books are presented together, creating a distinctive opportunity to encounter the breadth of this particular artistic universe. Their pages preserve not only images and texts, but also traces of artistic thought, individual gestures, cultural encounters and historical moments. Each publication becomes a small autonomous exhibition space, inviting the viewer to explore the relationship between image, language, material and idea. Complementing these works, 37 international Mail Art positions extend across the exhibition walls. Together, they form a visual constellation of artistic voices, demonstrating how creativity can transcend geographical distances, cultural differences and institutional boundaries. Rather than presenting a unified aesthetic, the contributions reveal the diversity and openness of an international artistic network whose defining principles are exchange, participation, experimentation and mutual recognition. An essential aspect of 37 * HAVE A LOOK is its understanding of the audience as an active participant rather than a passive observer.

On the opening day, visitors are explicitly invited to browse through and read the exhibited artist books. This direct encounter dissolves the traditional distance between artwork and viewer, allowing the publications to be experienced through time, attention and personal discovery. The act of turning a page becomes an intimate form of participation, establishing a dialogue between the artist's original intention and the viewer's individual interpretation. This participatory approach extends into the field of Urban Sketching. Artists and enthusiasts will be present to capture impressions of the exhibition and its surroundings through drawing and observation. Visitors of all ages and levels of experience are invited to join spontaneously, sketch, experiment or simply observe. Materials will be provided, making the act of artistic creation accessible without any prerequisite knowledge or formal training. In this way, the exhibition becomes an evolving social space in which looking, reading, drawing and exchanging ideas are understood as interconnected forms of cultural participation.

The title HAVE A LOOK can therefore be read as both an invitation and a curatorial proposition. It encourages visitors to look more closely, to discover connections between seemingly unrelated artistic positions and to recognise the value of those often overlooked forms of artistic communication that exist outside the dominant narratives of contemporary art. Presented at Kunstraum Mitte37 in Burgdorf, the exhibition also emphasises the importance of independent cultural spaces as places where international art can become accessible within a local community. It creates an encounter between a globally connected artistic network and a regional audience, demonstrating that international cultural exchange does not depend on the scale of an institution, but on the openness of the people and ideas it brings together. 37 * HAVE A LOOK ultimately celebrates the generosity of giving, the significance of collecting and the social dimension of artistic practice. It understands a collection not as a static accumulation of objects, but as a continuously developing network of relationships, memories and cultural contributions. Through the donations, the exhibited works and the active involvement of its visitors, the Schumacher Collection becomes a shared space of discovery – one in which art is not merely preserved, but opened up, experienced and carried forward.

"Have a look. Turn a page. Make a connection. Become part of the exchange."

Date 27 Nov 2026 - 10 Jan 2027
Organizer MITTE37 - Susanne Schumacher
Venue: MITTE37
Mittelstraße 37
31303 Burgdorf
Germany