“They” features artists Lars Koepsel and Vernon Ah Kee.

The two artists met more than 20 years ago in Australia and have since become close friends, developing a deep artistic understanding of each other's work. Language, writing, and drawing play a central role in both of their creative processes. However, it is essential to note that their artistic approach is strongly influenced by shared political and philosophical convictions. Both Lars Koepsel and Vernon Ah Kee are socially active beyond their art.

Lars Koepsel runs an art space that connects people and artists across cultures. Vernon Ah Kee is a co-founder, along with other indigenous Australian artists, of ProppaNOW—an art collective that supports Aboriginal artists, organises exhibitions, and fights against cultural stereotypes.

Lars Koepsel and Vernon Ah Kee chose the exhibition title “They” because it is part of our reality that people and groups of people are often labelled as “them.” It is a form of devaluation and sweeping generalisation that rarely reflects complex circumstances. In socio-political discourse especially, this rhetoric is often used for populist purposes to marginalise and more easily condemn groups of people. The artists counter this prevailing generalisation with a dialectical approach that invites not only thinking, but above all rethinking.

The exhibition is being held in co-operation with Sandkasten, Munich.