QUO VADIS, Kestner Gesellschaft?

Ethics of work, or the mere life of institutional practice. How to work together, between collectivity and individual approach.

With the participation of Birte Heier and Sebastian Stein (co-directors of Kunstverein Langenhagen) as well as Melanie Rosenauer and Kiriakoula Kremantzouli (ItYt Hannover) and other guests.

Sebastian Stein was heavily involved in self-organized contexts such as NO FUTURE Komplex, ruine hq or acid collège until he became took over the artistic direction of the Kunstverein Langenhagen in mid-2021. At the beginning of 2023, he asked Birte Heier to join him and the two have been running the Kunstverein together ever since. He also writes and publishes the magazine MUSS STERBEN together with Stephan Janitzky.

Birte Heier studied cultural studies and aesthetic practice in Hildesheim and Thessaloniki. Since the beginning of 2023, Heier has been co-director of the Kunstverein Langenhagen together with Sebastian Stein. Previously, Heier worked in various roles in art and cultural contexts (including Niki Residency, Stadtteilzentrum Stöcken, Kunstverein Hannover).

Melanie Rosenauer studied communication design in Kiel and Hildesheim. 
Since 2008 she has worked as a freelance communication designer and book designer for cultural and scientific institutions and publishers. In 2011 she founded the design studio ItYt with Kiriakoula Kremantzouli. There she takes over the art direction, mostly together with Kiriakoula, for projects in the fields of visual identities for exhibitions and festivals as well as book design. In the winter semester 2019/2020 and summer semester 2020, she worked with students as part of a teaching assignment at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts / Faculty of Design and Media on the implementation of the visual identity developed by our office for the Lumix Festival.Since the winter semester 2021/2022 she has been teaching typography and design at the HAWK in Hildesheim.

Kiriakoula Kremantzouli studied communication design in Braunschweig and Athens. She worked in agencies in Hamburg and Hanover with a focus on packaging, editorial design and corporate design for international companies as well as for clients from the cultural and institutional sector. In 2011 she founded the design agency ItYt with Melanie Rosenauer. There she takes over the art direction, mostly together with Melanie, for projects in the fields of visual identity, book design, web design and event identity. In 2018, she successfully completed her further education in cultural management at Leibniz Universität Hannover. In WS 2019/2020 and SS 2020 she had a teaching assignment at the Hanover University of Applied Sciences and Arts in the Faculty of Design and Media with a focus on corporate design.