The Neoliberal Urge to Curate a Friendsgroup at ACUD Galerie, Berlin

The Neoliberal Urge to Curate a Friendsgroup by Sarah Albrecht, Oliver Bleckmann, Manuel Cornelius, Sophia Gatzkan, Jill Kiddon, Luka Naujoks, and Johannes Thiel, curated by Johannes Thiel and Luka Naujoks, at ACUD Galerie, Berlin, 28/02/2025 – 23/03/2025.

Exhibition Text:

The exhibition The Neoliberal Urge to Curate a Friendsgroup brings together works by Sarah Albrecht, Oliver Bleckmann, Manuel Cornelius, Sophia Gatzkan, Jill Kiddon, Luka Naujoks, and Johannes Thiel to explore the neoliberal tendency to frame social relationships as a strategic network—a curated portfolio of friendships treated as a purpose-driven structure.

In a culture dominated by self-promotion and social optimization, friendships increasingly function as resources, designed to yield personal benefits. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the art world, where relationships often take on an ‘instrumental’ character—connections are forged based on aesthetics, value, and mutual reinforcement. Whether overtly conspicuous or subtly restrained, all participants operate within a system that follows the same rules and rewards the same behaviors.

Through a critical and self-reflective lens, The Neoliberal Urge to Curate a Friendsgroup interrogates the transactional nature of friendships and the performative aspects of contemporary social dynamics, revealing the tensions between genuine connection and calculated alliance.