[404: NOT FOUND]

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly reshaped both artistic practices and our understanding of cultural spaces. [404: NOT FOUND] explores these altered conditions through the lens of [PAL] in Hamburg, a nightclub reimagined as an exhibition space. Once a lively social hub, the pandemic temporarily transformed [PAL] into an empty transitional space—a non-space, as anthropologist Marc Augé would describe it. The title drew on the internet error code 404, symbolizing the absence of something once accessible, now lost and unreachable.

Before the pandemic, [PAL] was a popular venue, a place where individuals came together, interacted, and shared experiences. Now, devoid of its usual vibrancy, it stands as a stark reminder of how a space’s purpose and meaning can dissolve in times of crisis. The exhibition probed this shift, raising questions about how spaces traditionally filled with human activity are stripped of interaction, becoming hollow shells. The artworks reflect on this dissonance, investigating how architecture, once fluid and accommodating, is forced to confront the isolating realities of the present.

Curatorial team: Dr. Ann-Kathrin Hubrich, Duško Ruljević
Participating artists: Pardis Azadeh & Sven Miesner, Corrie Barclay, Isabell Kamp, Anik Lazar, Julia Malgut, Stef Mosebach, Hanny Oldendorf, Franziska Opel, Dagmar Rauwald, Sven Scharfenberg, Jennifer Schurr, Saskia Stoltze & Eva Lillian Wagner, Ivan Šuletić, Anna Vähäoja
Photo documentation: Fred Dott

Special thanks to: Daniel Dekkers

[PAL]
Management: Stephan Andreas Stubbs
Management assistance: Saskia Valett
Organisation: Harre Kühnast
Technical support: Jan Otersen, Linus Weilandt

[404: NOT FOUND] was supported by Hamburgische Kulturstiftung.

For more information visit 404-not-found.club