Emre Abut’s Sound Installation at Manifesta 16 Recalls Club Nights and Solidarity
At Manifesta 16 in Gelsenkirchen, artist Emre Abut presents a sound installation in St. Anna church that evokes long club nights and community empowerment. The work stems from his memory of a 1992 anti-racism demonstration in Duisburg, following a neo-Nazi arson attack in Mölln that killed three people. Abut, born to Turkish teachers who came to Germany, grew up in Duisburg and later found refuge in the hip-hop floor of the Turbinenhalle disco in Oberhausen—a safe space for migrant youth. His installation, created for Manifesta 16, uses fragments of music, interviews, and memories to explore music as a site of remembrance and self-empowerment. Abut studied photography at Folkwang University and art in context at Berlin University of the Arts; his practice now includes installation, sound, and performance. He views the work as part of ongoing research into migration and empowerment in Germany, particularly in the Ruhr region.
Key facts
- Emre Abut created a sound installation for Manifesta 16 in St. Anna church, Gelsenkirchen.
- The work recalls a 1992 anti-racism demonstration in Duisburg after the Mölln arson attack.
- Abut’s parents were Turkish teachers who came to Germany to teach Turkish-speaking children.
- He frequented the hip-hop floor at Turbinenhalle disco in Oberhausen, a safe space for migrant youth.
- The installation uses music fragments, interviews, and memories.
- Abut studied photography at Folkwang University and art in context at Berlin University of the Arts.
- His practice includes installation, sound, and performance.
- The work is part of ongoing research into migration and self-empowerment in Germany.
Entities
Artists
- Emre Abut
Institutions
- Manifesta 16
- St. Anna
- Turbinenhalle
- Folkwang-Universität
- Universität der Künste Berlin
Locations
- Gelsenkirchen
- Germany
- Duisburg
- Mölln
- Oberhausen
- Berlin
- Ruhrgebiet