Establishing Recognition #1 explores the art and cultural sector as a space marked by exclusion and gatekeeping. Even gaining admission to an art program involves numerous barriers: acceptance is determined by a committee based on portfolio quality, practical and theoretical skills, and personal impression during an interview. For those who pass this selection process and are accepted into their desired university, it quickly becomes clear – this is only the beginning.

Establishing Recognition #1 positions itself as an artistic statement for empowerment and against mechanisms of exclusion and elitism. By subverting the system while simultaneously engaging with it, the work advocates – in the spirit of the trickster – for a democratization of the art world. It suggests agency that steps beyond institutional frameworks and unfolds as a collective process in public space. There is power in artists claiming the space they need without waiting for invitations or permission. Visibility is essential. And space is necessary.