Living Room Collective

A group of people gather around a small bar or kiosk with drinks, menus and flowers on the counter. Three people are standing behind the counter, two people are standing in front of it and talking.

Living Festival 2023, participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
Six people gather around a kitchen island covered with food, drinks and cooking ingredients. Shelves with plants and cups adorn the wall behind them. A yellow poster reads: “HOW (NOT) TO BUILD A...”. They seem to be having a conversation.

Living Festival 2023, participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A group of people are sitting on cushions and blankets in a bright room, chatting. Art supplies and colorful materials are scattered on the floor, while colorful objects lean against the wall in the background.

Living Festival 2023, participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A group sings and dances in a cozy, dimly lit room decorated with posters and artwork.Some participants sit, others stand and raise their arms, creating a lively and energetic karaoke atmosphere.

Poster for Karaoke 2023, Kenneth Lin: digital print on paper, 29.7 × 42 cm, photo: Kenneth Lin

1/28
A group of people meet in a closed room. Two people are singing into microphones. Artwork adorns the walls and a no smoking sign hangs above. Twisted wires or decorations hang from the ceiling.

Living Festival 2023, participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
In a dimly lit room with warm lighting, people relax on beanbags and blankets. A lace banner with text hangs between the coat racks. In the background are an upholstered armchair and a radiator.

There was a party but I was not invited 2024, Jakob Karpus: installative textile work, embroidery, fabric, mixed media, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A transparent lace curtain with a floral pattern hangs on a stand and is illuminated by pink light. Handwritten on it is: “There was a party and I was not invited.”.

There was a party but I was not invited 2024, Jakob Karpus: installative textile work, embroidery, fabric, mixed media, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A warmly lit café with a person behind a counter, surrounded by shelves full of goods. The ambience is cozy, with soft yellow light and a handwritten “Living Room” sign above the shelves.

There was a party but I was not invited 2024, Jakob Karpus: installative textile work, embroidery, fabric, mixed media, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
At a table set with plates, a pot of boiling water, dumplings, instant noodle packets and a glass of water, people prepare dumplings and noodles; hands form dumplings and serve the food.

Dumpling Workshop 2024, Pohan Khu and Living Room Collective: participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
Two people sit at a table and form dumplings by hand on plates dusted with flour. Their faces are hidden from view, their attention is focused on their hands and the preparation of the food.

Dumpling Workshop 2024, Pohan Khu and Living Room Collective: participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A group of people sit around a table covered with a dark cloth and play a game of tiles, possibly mahjong. Some are concentrating on the game, others are watching or using their cell phones. The room looks bright and cozy.

Mahjong Friends 2022, Kenneth Lin: participatory project with workshops and discussions, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A cozy room with blue walls and a blue floor, a patterned carpet, two beanbags, a blue armchair, a piano with a vase of flowers, a floor lamp and a blue upholstered chair. Posters hang on the wall.

Fata Morgana 2024, Shi Gebenfang: open format meetings, participatory actions with interviews and publications, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A contemporary art gallery with white walls, blue furniture, low tables, cushions, three small televisions and blue text art on the wall. Brochures and books lie on tables. The room is brightly lit.

Fata Morgana 2024, Shi: open format meetings, participatory actions with interviews and publications, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A blue tablecloth covers a table on which there are piles of books, pink and green papers, brochures and documents. Part of a printer can be seen at the edge.

Fata Morgana 2024, Shi: open format meetings, participatory actions with interviews and publications, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
A dimly lit room with people sitting and lying on floor cushions watching a movie projected onto the wall. The movie shows three women sitting together. English subtitles can be seen.

A Kind of Lesbian Desire 2024, Ruxin Liu: HD video, 28:52 min, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
People sit and lie on large cushions and beanbags in a dimly lit room and watch a movie on the wall. Two people can be seen on the screen talking in a cozy atmosphere; subtitles can be seen.

A Kind of Lesbian Desire 2024, Ruxin Liu: HD video, 28:52 min, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
Two people sit on soft seats in a warmly lit room with beige walls. Four framed textile artworks hang above them, and a patterned rug lies on the wooden floor next to a closed white door.

I ate 6 Dumplings and Washed 800 Dishes 2024, Julia Stang: textile installation, dishcloth, UV print, mixed media, photo: Pohan Khu

1/28
An exhibition table with various small brochures, zines and stacks of paper with the title “Living Room”, next to it a coffee cup and handwritten sticky notes with prices and labels.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
Three small zines are shown: one with a photo of a red-lit room, another yellow with the title Living Room Library and book covers, and one featuring a handmade clay lamp against a plain background.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
Four rectangular cards lie on a white surface. The top left card shows a black and white photo of crockery on a shelf. The top right card shows a person taking a photo. Underneath it says “PIANO PLAY PIANO PIANO PIANO PIANO”. The bottom two cards say “PORTRAITS 1” and “PORTRAITS 2”.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
Three handmade zines are depicted on a white background. The top zine bears the title “BORDERS OF LOVE” in blue lettering. The lower left zine is green and bears the title “Diary of a class skipping girl”. The lower right zine is entitled “An instant sensuals guide to Berlin”.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
Four small cards lie in a grid on a flat surface; all the cards are arranged upside down. Each card has different colors and designs, including text, a black and white image and a photo of people writing on a blackboard.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
A colorful poster for the Living Room Graduation Show 2024 with event dates, schedule and workshop details over a photo of a plant, table and sink. White, bold text highlights the event name and details.

Poster for Living Graduation 2024, Kenneth Lin: digital print on paper, 42 × 59,4 cm, photo: Kenneth Lin

1/28
A colorful event poster with bold numbers and text listing events like a social design class, a food zine workshop, a fake Asian mom art talk, a dumplings workshop, zine making, a new moon meetup, a perfume toolbox and an open hangout.

Poster for Living Programm 2024, Yitong Chen: 42 × 59,4 cm, photo: Yitong Chen

1/28
Poster with “Living Room Program” written in large letters. With bold red text on a white background, event details, schedule and activities such as karaoke, tea, movie screening, music and photo booth, as well as a handwritten mind map in the background at the top. All red on white paper.

Poster for Living Programm 2023, Sam Kim und Shin Dokho: digital print on paper, 42 × 59,4 cm, photo: Sam Kim und Shin Dokho

1/28
A white booklet titled “Living Book” in red lettering, with handwritten diagrams, circles, and text scattered throughout the cover, including the words “Living Room” and “NON-HUMAN” in the lower left corner.

Living Book 2023, artist publication, digital print, 14 booklets, each 7.4 × 10.5 cm, photo: Living Room Collective

1/28
A colorful, playful text proclaims “We love the smell of mutual support in the morning”. Event details can be seen and it appears to be a festival poster.

Poster for Living Festival 2023, Yitong Chen: digital print on paper, 42 × 59,4 cm, photo: Yitong Chen

1/28
Colorful poster for the Living Room Graduate Show 2023 in vibrant pink and green. It contains a four-day schedule of events including workshops, lectures, music evenings and performances, as well as details and times for each activity.

Poster for Living Graduation 2023, Kenneth Lin: digital print on paper, 42 × 59,4 cm, photo: Kenneth Lin

1/28
Living Room Collective, Foto: Charlotte Spiegelfeld

Living Room Collective, photo: Charlotte Spiegelfeld

Biography

  • 2022

    founded in Hamburg

  • since 2023

    Six to nine people in changing constellations, independent artistic practice and event organisation

  • 2022–2023

    Study of fine arts at the University of Fine Arts Hamburg with Reza Afisina and Iswanto Hartono

Jury statement

The Living Room Collective follows an open, decentralized, and unintentional artistic approach. Rather than focusing on a final, completed artwork, it is concerned with the process and exchange around societal issues, particularly the theme of (social) space and the question of (good) coexistence. Art is not understood as an aesthetic or auratic object, but rather as a gathering and as »care«, meaning the act of caring for others.
The practice of the Living Room Collective, which currently consists of nine students, takes into account current changes in the realm of artistic production and the definition of not only the artwork but also the artists themselves. Participatory and collaborative approaches are evolving into more coherent working methods. For Living Room Collective, the social aspect is central; it engages in various activities and performs actions centered around the theme of space, such as cooking, cleaning, playing, discussing, or repairing. As a form of manifesto, various key terms are documented and, for example, printed or embroidered on kitchen towels or curtains, everyday objects. It also creates specific spatial settings that promote exchange on topics such as the symbolism of text.

In this context, it is not the physical space that is explored and shaped, but rather the social space, which, in today's world, eludes many questions. Living Room Collective, among other things, raises questions about queerness and shame and explores this theme over the course of a year in workshops. These themes are associated with profound emotions and questions that are often considered taboo and for which no spaces or opportunities for exchange exist. In the »Living Book«, the process of coming together is documented. The documentation of the process once again illustrates that Living Room Collective is not concerned with the result (the physical artwork) but with creating social occasions, sharing time, and learning from one another.

Florence Thurmes, jury member

Curatorial Projects

  • 2024

    Food & Bar All the Time, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2024

    Living Program, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2023

    We Love the Smell of Mutual Support in the Morning, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2023

    Living Room Graduate Show, HFBK Hamburg

Group exhibitions

(collaboration, participations, publications)

  • 2025

    27th Federal Competition Federal Prize for Art Students, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn

  • 2025

    Living Room invited by Leaky Vessel, feat. class for Social Design, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2024

    Anarchist City Tour, feat. Yifei Chen, Hamburg

  • 2024

    A Tropical Goth Writing/Publishing Workshop, feat. Laura Gomez, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2024

    Living @ Floating, Floating University, Berlin

  • 2024

    LOST AND HOLY, Golden Pudel Club, Hamburg

  • 2023

    Miss Read Berlin, House of World Cultures, Berlin

  • 2023

    This is a map of ___, feat. Community Toolkit Karlsruhe, HFBK Hamburg

  • 2023

    Living Book, 7,4 × 10,5 cm, series of 14 Booklets, artist publication

Grants and awards

  • 2025

    Federal Prize for Art Students, Federal Ministry of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth

  • 2024

    Karl H. Ditze award for best degree show, HFBK Hamburg

Bundespreis für Kunststudierende 2025