Artist Talk: Nadja Buttendorf – Rosie & Co.
HMKV im Dortmunder U | Ebene 3
Image: Nadja Buttendorf, Robotron – A Tech Opera, Webserie, 2018-2019, Videostill © Nadja Buttendorf
rosie , the new project by Nadja Buttendorf, refers to a fictional merger between the East German conglomerate Robotron and the tech giant Siemens: the RO-SIE GmbH. Such a merger never actually took place. However, in February 1990, when the Berlin Wall was already open and reunification was still ahead, employees of the VEB Kombinat Robotron proposed this name in the company newspaper. At the time, there was still hope for a reunification on equal terms. But those few months of optimism faded quickly. Instead of a bright future, the reality of economic takeover followed: Siemens bought only parts of Robotron and was never interested in genuine collaboration. In 1990, most of Robotron was liquidated and dismantled.
In this talk, artist Nadja Buttendorf offers insights into her current 2025 media art fellowship Rosie & Co. The conversation also provides a preview of the upcoming HMKV exhibition on Robotron. Admission free.
Nadja Buttendorf (*1984 in Dresden) is a German visual artist. Her work includes videos, performances, installations, and objects in which she explores the relationship between corporeality, digital society, constructions of gender, and critiques of technology.
