Table Talk | Power Structures | Joanne Rodriguez | Kunstverein Freiburg (art society Freiburg)

Power defines which values, laws and norms apply in a society - and therefore has a direct impact on the everyday lives of many people. Power structures determine who makes decisions, who has access to resources and who exercises control over social processes. They not only determine the distribution of money, education and work, but also how power is exercised in institutions and between individuals. These structures are often invisible, but have a profound effect on the behaviour of people and the organization of societies. A critical understanding of these structures is crucial to recognizing and challenging social inequality. It helps to recognize why certain groups have privileges and others live in poverty and are structurally disadvantaged. | Joanne Rodriguez is a curator, director of the Städtische Galerie Fruchthalle, Rastatt and research associate at the Global Heritage Lab at the University of Bonn. As a curator, she has realized exhibitions such as 'Here and Now. Anticolonial Interventions at the Museum Ludwig, which critically examined the colonial structures and narratives of the museum collection. In her work, Rodriguez questions power structures in exhibition spaces and combines these with ecological themes and collective working methods. Her research focuses on sustainability and climate justice, in particular on the strategies and knowledge transfer practices of German art institutions. How can sustainability, decolonization and climate justice shape and transform institutional frameworks and exhibition formats?