Wartist - Connecting War and the Arts

Media Art Festival “transmediale.11” (Berlin)

In 1988, the media art festival transmediale was founded under its name “VideoFilmFest” in the periphery of the film festival Berlinale; in 1998, it recieved its current name. There is not only a conference, but also an open competition, an exhibition and various side events. This year’s subject is called “RESPONSE:ABILITY”. In 2011, too, several works address war.

Aesthetics of Disappearance by Jananne Al-Anis (2010) Continue reading “Media Art Festival “transmediale.11” (Berlin)”

Opening: SHOOT! Photography existential (C/O Berlin)

From 5 February until 27 March 2011, the photo gallery C/O Berlin – its future still being imperiled, as the investor who bought the premises did not stick to its own agreement – presents the exhibition “SHOOT! Photography Existential”. It reminds us of a nearly forgotten fun fair attraction, the “photo shot”: the shooter “kills” himself by taking a picture of himself – obviously, this virtual self-destruction was quite fascinating.

Big fun, not the least for existentialists:

Simone de Beauvoir and Jean-Paul Sarte shooting themselves Continue reading “Opening: SHOOT! Photography existential (C/O Berlin)”

Gerhard Richter: Images of an Era

With the exhibition “Images of an Era” (5 February – 15 May 2011), Bucerius Kunst Forum in Hamburg presents a detailed view into Gerhard Richter’s works of the 1960s and 1970s. In February 1961, Richter fled from Eastern Germany to the West. He depicted his “new world” in large-sized pictures, often based on photos. Gerhard Richter, born in 1932 and today one of the world’s most recognised contemporary artists, has consistently addressed the Nazi period in Germany, but also war and technology. His work “XL 513” from 1964 expresses tremendous dynamics and power.

Simon Menner: Images from the STASI Secret Archives (Berlin)

As recently announced at Wartist, from 17 January until 3 March 2011, Simon Menner presents “Images from the Secret STASI Archives”¹ as part of the exhibition series “Rendezvous mit Kunst” (meeting with art) at Berlin’s restaurant Diekmann. The exhibition of 26 authentic photographs is part of a bigger cycle that the artist selected from images he was being provided by the “Bundesbeauftragten für die Unterlagen des Staatssicherheitsdienstes der ehemaligen Deutschen Demokratischen Republik” (BStU)².

Stasi is the short form of “(Ministerium für) Staatssicherheit” ((Ministry for) State Security), the East-German state security service. ↩
Federal Commissioner for the Stasi Archives ↩

Computer Games Museum is Reopening (Berlin)

In 1997, the Computerspielemuseum Berlin (Computer Games Museum Berlin) was opened as the first global collection on the digital entertainment culture. Unfortunately, the exhibition was closed in 2000 for the lack of space and funding. Finally, on 21 January 2011, the museum will be reopened by its founding director Andreas Lange at a new location.

Fire Missile! (© Computerspielemuseum Berlin)

Opening: Simon Menner – Images from the Secret STASI Archives (Berlin)

From 17 January to 3 March 2011, Simon Menner presents “Images from the Secret STASI Archives”¹ within the framework of “Rendezvous mit Kunst” (meeting with art) at Berlin’s restaurant Diekmann. Also in this country, surveillance by images and video is increasingly becoming ubiquitous. But what does “Big Brother” really see? How banal is the “gaze of evil” of an oppressive regime, and how obvious is its terror?

MfS-HA-VIII-Fo-0525-Bild-0002 Giving Secret Signs

Stasi is the short form of “(Ministerium für) Staatssicherheit” ((Ministry for) State Security), the East-German state security service. ↩

Documentary “Remembering the Children” (Berlin)

On the occasion of the 66th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp on 27. January 2011, Freundeskreis Willy-Brandt-Haus e.V., Institut Français Berlin and Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie e.V. present the documentary “Remembering the Children” (La Mémoire des Enfants) by Hannes Gellner and Thomas Draschan, made in 2007. The film deals with the fate of Jewish children under the Vichy regime. The film attemps to fathom how it was possible (in human, legal, and administrative terms) that between 1942 and 1944 more than 11,400 Jewish children were deported from France to Auschwitz on the initiative of the French authorities.

Filles Reisz, Archives Serge et Beate Klarsfeld

“Historical Picture” at Kunstraum t27 (Berlin)

From 11 December 2010 to 9 January 2011 (and as already announced here), the Berlin-based gallery Kunstraum t27 celebrates its third birthday with the group exhibition “Historienbild” within a six-part exhibition series about the various genres of (not just) painting. All the 30 works by Chris Dreier, Andreas Seltzer, Henning Kappenberg, Barbara Duisberg and Thilo Droste differently address history and remembering the past, but not the least war.

“Einzelplan 14” is celebrating its First Birthday

The highly interesting (but only German) blog “Einzelplan 14” on security policy could celebrate its first birthday yesterday. We would like to gratulate on this occasion: in this short period, this blog developed into a worthwhile source for analyses and links, including a schedule for events concerning these matters.

A camo cake for birthday! Continue reading ““Einzelplan 14” is celebrating its First Birthday”

“Historical Picture” at Kunstraum t27 (Berlin)

From 11 December 2010, Berlin-based gallery Kunstraum t27 is presenting the group exhibition “Historienbild” (historical painting) within the six-part exhibition series about the various genres of (not just) painting. “Historienbild” has the subject of dealing with history, and interestingly all the works directly or indirectly address war.