Building and furnishing functional and utilitarian spaces for various purposes is one of society's basic functions. Humans are good at creating operational environments. One might even say that it has been one of the key factors in the success of our species. Katja Eydel's exhibition Educational presents a selection of spaces, each of which has been designed for a specific purpose: classrooms, doctor's offices, day care centers and rehabilitation centers that look mundane and neutral at first glance. Eydel's project, however, makes us take a closer look at these constructed spaces. Spaces that are used to mold individuals into citizens who meet society's expectations. Behind the banality of everyday life is a host of social structures that shape our thinking and behavior. The photographs of the deserted rooms may seem unexceptional on their own, but presented together they carry a powerful message.
The exhibition premiers in the Finnish Museum of Photography. The exhibition opened for the first time at the museum in November 2020. Then the exhibition only had time to be open for two days before the covid restrictions forced the exhibition to close. Now the exhibition will be presented again.
Katja Eydel (b. 1969) is a Berlin-based German artist who often aims to produce extensive research-based collections of photographs. She also works as a university lecturer.
The project is sponsored by Stiftung Kunstfonds and Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen.
