It was only in the summer of 2022 that Pope Francis asked the indigenous people of Canada for forgiveness for the crimes committed by church representatives in schools for indigenous children. The chain of abuse cases within the Catholic Church does not break. But news of sexualised violence against children and structural discrimination has dominated the media not only since the #MeToo debate. The perpetrators are mostly male and continue to use partriachal social structures, as recent events in Iran testify.

With his new work "In Nomine Patris", media artist Julian Kirschler wants to send a clear signal against violence and abuse of power. From 2023, the altar installation will be shown at various locations. The "Altar on Tour" campaign calls for dialogue and starts with a kick-off event at the Altes Schlachthof Pforzheim.

Zeynep Sayin and Robert Eikmeyer take the arrival of the altar as an opportunity to talk with the artist about historical and contemporary image politics in the context of sexualised and structural violence.

Zeynep Sayin is a professor of image studies and teaches at various universities in Europe. Sayin combines image theory and political theory and has been subject to official repression for her work on historical and contemporary image politics.

Robert Eikmeyer is an art scholar and staff member at Pforzheim University. His work and research focuses on the radical avant-garde, totalitarian art, contextual art and participatory practices.

Julian Kirschler is a media artist who lives and works in Pforzheim. Most recently, he caused a sensation with his photo project "High Noon", which shows images of European cities infected with a picture virus during the lockdown.

Admission is free