Within the walls of the former Dominican monastery at Kunsthalle Osnabrück, Steve Bishop’s latest exhibition traces the tenuous threads between childhood and adulthood. Through a trio of installations, On the Street Where You Live unearths the emotions, memories and fleeting moments that shape our sense of self, weaving nostalgia with surreal reflections on the passage of time.
The titular work, “On the Street Where You Live,” conjures the intimacy of suburban life, recreating a walk-in garage complete with a car parked in the driveway. As soulful jazz spills from the speakers, viewers are guided into a shadowed space, lit only by the fluorescent hum of an ice cream freezer. Elsewhere, “Admission” magnifies a sense of childlike play, presenting a life-sized replica of a tiny “Sweet Street” toy hospital – its hard plastic sheen steeped in familiarity and artifice. Finally, “Ages” captures decades of amateur Disneyland snapshots, from the 1950s to the early 2000s, each framed by recurring, nostalgic motifs.
Bishop’s work navigates the fragile balance between innocence and disillusionment, examining how memories of an idealized childhood are both treasured and transmitted across generations. As the echoes of youthful dreams meet the realities of age, the exhibition becomes a timeless stage for the collective longing that binds us all.
On the Street Where You Live is now on view through February 23, 2025.
Kunsthalle Osnabrück
Hasemauer 1,
49074 Osnabrück,
Germany
