From February 28 to October 26, 2025, the Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg (MK&G) hosts the exhibition Glitter. Within this context, :mentalKLINIK reunites audiences with their installation “Puff Out” on June 4.
The exhibition examines the layered meanings and shifting nature of glitter, questioning the possibilities this material offers. Its dazzling, unpredictable presence is used as a medium of fascination, empowerment, connection, and visibility. The works on display bring together a diverse constellation of voices and perspectives, ranging from personal narratives and political gestures to artistic approaches and handmade fan art.
This ubiquitous, shimmering material becomes the central focus of a museum exhibition for the first time. Typically hexagonal in form, these multi-layered particles serve countless purposes. Invented in 1934 in New Jersey, glitter has since permeated various social, cultural, and political spheres. In everyday life, as on stages, in protests, in crafts, or on the red carpet, these tiny flecks function both as decoration and as symbols often associated with the cheap or frivolous. They add value yet are frequently devalued—drawing attention with their shine, while tenaciously clinging to everything they touch.
On June 4, :mentalKLINIK presents a new version of “Puff Out” — first shown at Art Basel Unlimited in 2009 — redesigned especially for MK&G’s Glitter exhibition. Starting June 5, the work will unfold across the museum’s galleries floor, animated by 16 robotic vacuum cleaners. But these machines do the opposite of their intended purpose: instead of cleaning, they endlessly scatter fuchsia glitter, creating a constantly evolving, theatrical drawing across the space.
With “Puff Out“, :mentalKLINIK turns optimization into absurdity, inviting visitors into a living landscape of movement, sound, and sparkling debris. A performative choreography of machines meditates on speed, excess, and contradiction — transforming what’s often overlooked into something unforgettable. A symbolic work in :mentalKLINIK’s practice, ”Puff Out” now returns to mesmerize Hamburg.
