Nothing Stays Stainless

Anna Ruth & Emma Adler
Opening 28. 10. 18:00

Nothing stays stainless examines the structural violence of societal norms and celebrates the radical act of non-conformance. The conceptual core of the duoexhibition is built on an unconventional analogy: upon closern inspection, systematic misogyny and the collective hatred toward urban pigeons reveal an
identical mechanism—the rejection of anything that refuses to conform to expectations of utility, beauty, and order. Historically, women who disrupted the patriarchal order were branded as “witches” or “hysterics.” Today, conservative backlashes continue to weaponize labels against queer, trans, and emancipated bodies. Similarly, urban pigeons—originally bred for human profit and then abandoned—are vilified as “rats of the sky” to justify their exclusion from hyperoptimized cities. They all are penalized simply for existing outside prescribed norms.

Emma Adler disrupts centuries of institutional misogyny. Her work shifts the gaze away from the representation of victims onto the perpetrators. By isolating details of the repetitive, historical gestures of institutional power—such as pointing and dragging hands—she exposes the timeless patterns of oppression, revealing the visual repetition and manifestation of power structures. Her work focuses on the handbag as a symbol of collective power that burns from within instead of being destroyed from the outside. Under this invisible force, rigid dogmatic architectures bend, signaling the collapse of control.

Anna Ruth responds to this systemic critique through a materiality of decay and endurance, using large-scale paintings made with iron-oxide rust. Her work builds on a personal mythology, where detailed studies of wings and fragmented, gender-blurred bodies explore life outside the norm. Where Adler deconstructs the architecture of control, Ruth captures the essence of survival.Linked by a shared sympathy for the pigeon, both artists celebrate its refusal to con- and to
perform. The pigeon’s indifferent nest on bare concrete may seem as a statement against aesthetic perfection and flawless motherhood—carrying a beautiful fuck-off energy. History leaves its traces, yet within these permanent stains lies a generative power: a celebration of collective endurance that persists through its own flaws.