Tischgespräch | Magali Reus | Salt

Mon, July 13, 2026, 7:00 p.m.
Roundtable Discussion
On Object Biographies and Wardrobe Inventories—Critical Reflections on Consumption in *
* Clothing
with Ann-Kristin Reinkenhoff

The closet is both an architectural storage space and a repository of textile possessions. In pop culture, the view of wardrobes oscillates between the “capsule wardrobe”—living with about 50 pieces of clothing—and the walk-in closet à la Carrie Bradshaw from *Sex and the City*, who even uses her oven as storage space. The wardrobe functions as a means to an end, as an object of desire, and as a site of negotiation between consumption, the body, and one’s life story. Yet hardly any everyday object is imbued with as much meaning as the garments we wear on our bodies.

But how do we in Germany approach our own clothing—its purchase, use, (non-)repair, and disposal? How do we respond to what is perceived as “too much” or “too little”? What expectations of the ideal wardrobe go hand in hand with this, and can we even consume “correctly”?

Ann-Kristin Reinkenhoff (she/her) is a research associate at the Institute for Empirical Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg. Her research interests include clothing, textiles, and fashion; material culture; consumption practices; and the global secondhand and used textile trade.

The roundtable discussion, designed as a series of events within the framework of the Kunstverein’s exhibitions, aims to make the content, themes, and contexts of the artistic works on display accessible, to question them, and to expand upon them. The exhibition serves as an opportunity to ask questions and to question what is taken for granted, to foster encounters, stimulate thought, and encourage participation, and to experiment with “unlearning” together. A table in the exhibition hall creates a workspace. A person whose practice or research focus is particularly relevant to the exhibition is invited to give a short keynote talk and, together with the discussion participants, to explore sociopolitical issues that extend beyond the exhibition and the exhibition space.

Participation is free of charge, and registration is not required.