In contemporary usage, “excess” (from the Latin excedere, “to step outside,” “to go beyond”) refers to a significant transgression of the boundaries of what is considered normal, without any specific goal or purpose. “Excess” usually has negative connotations, associated with danger, accidents, and damage.
But the normality exceeded in the excess is not good per se - and life does not stand still: So this catalog and the underlying exhibition “EX-Zess!”, which was on display from September 6, 2025, to October 26, 2025, at the former Cöthen distillery (DAS-GUT.org), are interested in the constructive aspects of excess. It focuses on excess as a dynamic impetus for development, a way to overcome fear, and a catalyst for necessary change.
The catalogue with 25 illustrations is bilingual in English and German - in addition, there are some additional texts, depending on the artist and their fields of activity, in Greek, Italian, French, Spanish, Gaelic, Chinese, Russian
Kunst Gesellschaft Entwicklung Exzess