imPOSSIBLE? The magic of wishes

Extension

The special exhibition on the world of wishes - dreams of the future, wishing and cursing - will be extended due to great interest.

Instead of until June 11, 2023, "imPOSSIBLE? The Magic of Wishes" will remain on view at GRIMMWELT Kassel until July 16, 2023.

Special exhibition imPOSSIBLE | The magic of wishes | Jim Avognon — © Jim Avignon

Special exhibition imPOSSIBLE | The magic of wishes | Photo: Sascha Mannel — © GRIMMWELT Kassel | Foto: Sascha Mannel

Special exhibition imPOSSIBLE | Aschenbroedel | © Grimm-Sammlung der Stadt Kassel, Slg.1994.355 — Abb.: © Grimm-Sammlung der Stadt Kassel, Slg.1994.355

Exhibition

A tree of red balloons hangs from the ceiling in the middle of the room. Do magical creatures live here? And in which fairy tales does the tree play an important role? These questions and more inevitably arise when you look at the work of the Korean artist, MyeongBeom Kim. The tree is one of the exhibits in the »imPOSSIBLE? The magic of wishes« exhibition at GRIMMWELT in Kassel from 24 November 2022 to 16 July 2023.

The exhibition explores the magic of wishes in a variety of ways: playfully, scientifically and artistically, and with the help of the Brothers Grimm, of course, whose collection of fairy tales touch upon a wide range of wishes. Getting involved and expressing your own wishes are very encouraged and are very much a part of the exhibition concept. Even before you enter the exhibition space itself, you’ll be able to get creative in the #GRIMMAtelier where you can visualise a wish and, if you’d like, take home a self-made lucky charm.

The exhibition is divided into three sections. It’s best to start the tour clockwise and begin at the wishing well. Here, in the first section, the exhibition is dedicated to the theme of the wish. Once you’ve made your wish at the fountain, you can make yourself comfortable on cushions in the book corner and browse through different editions of fairy tales.

The second section is all about magic. What does it actually take for wishes to come true? In many fairy tales, wishes come true with the help of magical objects or everyday lucky charms that help strengthen the belief that our wish will be fulfilled. A collection of lucky charms from the people of Kassel are on display in the exhibition. And you can also get active in this section, too: a fairy tale quiz is hidden in a 6 by 5 metre mural that the artist and musician Jim Avignon designed especially for the exhibition. Can you guess which character belongs to which fairy tale? With 200 fairy tales to choose from, there are no easy answers.

Why it’s sometimes better for some wishes to not come true is shown in the third and final section of the exhibition entitled Utopia. As we all know, not every story has a happy ending. Here, you’ll get to watch where jealousy can lead and let go of a wish that no longer inspires you and only burdens you.

You can also fly into space on a swing to take a look at some very specific wishes made by Kassel’s urban society that are all about the city of the future. What a nice and inspiring way to enjoy the last section of this enchanting and educational exhibition.

Current Dates

Learn more with our current guided tours and events around the special exhibition (in German):

further dates in the calender

Guided Tour

Book an individual guided tour of the special exhibition in advance of your visit.

Support

The exhibition is sponsored by the district of Kassel and the Gerhard-Fieseler-Foundation, Kassel.

Participants in the exhibition

Participants in the exhibition »imPOSSIBLE? The magic of wishes«

Artists:
A.MUSE – interactive Design Studio: Binh Minh Herbst (*1987) & Christin Marczinzik (*1988)
Jim Avignon (*1966, München)
Florian Graf (*1980, Basel/Schweiz)
MyeongBeom Kim (*1976, Busan/Korea)
Silja Korn (*1966, Berlin)
Raamwerk e.V. – Studio für Kunst, Sozial und Kommerz
Jenny Rova (*1972, Uppsala/Schweden)
Rafael Sommerhalder (*1974, Zürich/Schweiz)

Director:
David Karlak (*1986 Cleveland, Ohio, USA)

Illustrators:
Peter Becker (*1937—2017)
Christian Beyer (1883—1967, Frankfurt am Main)
Herta Broneder (1914—2006, Wien/Österreich)
Ingeborg Freude (o.A.)
Ludwig Emil Grimm (1790—1863, Hanau)
Karl Hassenpflug (1824—1890, Kassel)
Friedrich Peter Hiddemann (1829—1892, Düsseldorf)
Elisabeth Kaiser-Arentz (*1941, Duisburg)
Bruno Karberg (1896—1967, Hamburg)
Hermann Kohlmann (1907—1982, Veltheim/Schweiz)
Ruth Koser-Michaels (1896—1968, Berlin)
Gerhard Lahr (1938—2012, Reichenbach)
August Neumann (*vor 1860—1908, o.A.)
Luise Neupert (1926—2009, Chemnitz)
Maria Rehm (1915—2002, Wien/Österreich)
Werner Schinko (1929—2016), Kořenov/Tschechoslowakei)
Marianne Schneegans (1904—1997, Kreuznach)
Henrik Schrat (*1968, Greiz)
Maurice Sendak (1928—2012, New York City/USA)
Otto Speckter (1807—1871, Hamburg)
Victor Stuyvaert (1897—1974, Gent/Belgien)

Illustrations in books:
Hanns Anker (1873–1950)
Edmond Dulac (1882–1953)
Robert Fuchs (1896–1981)
N.N. (in: Shirayukihime [Schneewittchen, jap.]. Übersetzt von Masaki Tsuji, Tokyo: Asahisonorama, 1978.)

Interview partners:
Prof. Dr Brigitte Boothe
Prof. Dr. Holger Ehrhardt
Dr. Andreas Krafft
Prof. Dr. Gabriele Oettingen
Dr. Jan Rauch
Dr. Simone Steiner

Documentary filmmakers:
Nadia Lanfranchi (*1980, Chur/Schweiz) und Nina Oppliger (*1986, Belp/Schweiz)

Lenders lucky charms:
Regine Brunke
Prof. Dr. Martin Eberle
Ulrike Folkerts
Sandra Friedrich
Dr. Kai Füldner
Doris Gutermuth
Vera Habermeier
Knut Hoffmann
Hilde Obermayer
Susanne Selbert
Andrea Trumpik
Dr. Susanne Völker
Mark Weinmeister

Lenders:
Florian Graf (*1980, Basel/Schweiz)
David Karlak (*1986 Cleveland, Ohio, USA)
MyeongBeom Kim (*1976, Busan/Korea)
Silja Korn (*1966, Berlin)
Jenny Rova (*1972, Uppsala/Schweden)
Henrik Schrat (*1968, Greiz)
Rafael Sommerhalder (*1974, Zürich/Schweiz)
Grimm-Sammlung der Stadt Kassel

Imprint

»imPOSSIBLE? The magic of wishes«

VÖGELE KULTUR ZENTRUM (CH — Pfäffikon SZ):
Alexandra Könz, Karolina Widla

GRIMMWELT Kassel: Director | Head of Programmes:
Jan Sauerwald

GRIMMWELT Kassel: Exhibition conception:
Claudia Roßkopf, Jan Sauerwald, Julia Ronge

Exhibition Design:
Gebert & Krüger

Graphic Design:
Studio Terhedebrügge

Project Management:
Manuela Greipel

Mediation| Supporting Programme:
Julia Ronge

Puzzle track »Meine Wunschmaschine«:
Julia Ronge, Johannes Ickler, Claudia Roßkopf

Press | Public Relations | Marketing:
Katja Blum

Administration:
Stefanie Büscher, Maïté Fischer, Christine Großberndt, Johannes Ickler, Lina Schmidt, Timo Vogt

Technical Construction | Lighting | Media Technology:
Rolf Tonhäuser, Armin Jakob

Art Handling:
Srećko Barišić

Care of the Grimm Collection Stadt Kassel:
Daniel Rothen, Marie-Louise Lange

Translation:
Neville Williamson

Editing:
Rea Triyandafilidis

We would especially like to thank the artists, filmmakers, interview partners and lenders involved, as well as the company Gartenfit Sauerland & Pult.

imPOSSIBLE? The magic of wishes

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