Kalter Krieg | Wartist

(Deutsch) Berlinale 2017: Filme mit Kriegsbezug

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Berlinale 2016: Films that address War

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grounded/airborne (Kleine Galerie, Torgau)

Usually, wartist.org contains articles about exhibitions of other artists, movies, galleries and museums. Today, however, we have the pleasure to write on our own issues: ausgebildete Photographer Martin Bayer (educated at Lette-Verein Berlin) presents from 28 February to 10 April 2014 his exhibition grounded/airborne at Kleine Galerie (Torgauer Kunst- und Kulturverein “Johann Kentmann” e.V.). The photos from his series grounded show details of retired military planes; they will be historically commented by some aerial pictures from the First World War. Grounded addresses the medial and artistic aestheticisation of weapons, while both the clear assignment of the pictured objects to historic events and the alleged simple classification into “friend” and “enemy” become desintegrated.

grounded #4, C-print on alu-dibond, 50x75 cm (© 2012 Martin Bayer)

Wounds of the World – Magnum Photos (Osnabrück)

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Martin Bayer: grounded

Photographer Martin Bayer (educated at Lette-Verein Berlin) addresses in his series grounded¹ of decommissioned military aircraft the perception of history and war, but also the aestheticisation of weapons. Detached from their historic context, the planes appear as objects or even sculptural. Neither the country of provenance, nor their operating period are discernible: was it an “attacker” or a “defender”, regarding our own classifications? Each war produces history and its own myths – grounded puts them in the background, making room for the viewers’ own associations.

crashed, having a grounding (aircraft, pilot), fixed, earthed, but also sensible, justified ↩

Alois Nebel – Graphic Novel by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromir 99 (AID Berlin + Czech Centre Berlin)

On 12 January 2013, the exhibition “Alois Nebel – Graphic Novel by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromir 99” will open on two parallel locations: Akademie für Illustration und Design Berlin (AID Berlin) and Tschechisches Zentrum Berlin (Czech Centre Berlin). Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromír “Jaromir 99” Švejdík show the origination process of their successful three-volume graphic novel about the life of train director Alois Nebel (2003-2005), that has been made into a film in 2011 by Tomáš Luňák (and was awarded the European Film Award 2012 as best animated feature film. “Alois Nebel” addresses the issue of the forced displacement of Sudeten-Germans from Czechoslovakia after the end of the Second World War.

Jaromir 99 (* 1963) lives in Prague as comic artist, painter and musician. Jaroslav Rudiš (* 1972) works as author, screenwriter and playwright; he writes in Czech and German and lives in the Czech Republic and Germany. Continue reading “Alois Nebel – Graphic Novel by Jaroslav Rudiš and Jaromir 99 (AID Berlin + Czech Centre Berlin)”

On Borders (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin)

From 9 November until 30 December 2012, Berlin-based Haus der Kulturen der Welt (House of World Cultures) presents the photo exhibition “On Borders” as their second cooperation with the photo acency “Ostkreuz”. The agency’s 18 photographer addressed various issues of the exhibition’s subject: borders can be territorial, but they also divide social spheres or can divide inner and outer boundaries. Borders can be visible and invisible, cross-social or individual. Continue reading “On Borders (Haus der Kulturen der Welt, Berlin)”

Peter Piller: Tatsächliche Vermutungen (Capitain Petzel, Berlin)

From 3 November until 22 December 2012, the Berlin-based gallery Capitain Petzel presents the exhibition “Tatsächliche Vermutungen” (real assumptions) of its artist Peter Piller, represented by the gallery since earlier this year. Piller, born in 1968, often uses his huge newspaper and image archive for his works, for which he applies a new classification system to the results.

Peter Piller: Umschläge #13, 2011-2012, Archival pigment print on Alu-Dibond, 63 x 84.5 cm, © Peter Piller, Courtesy Capitain Petzel, Berlin.

The Desire for Freedom – Art in Europe since 1945 (DHM Berlin)

From 17 October 2012 to 10 February 2013, the Deutsche Historische Museum (German Historical Museum, DHM) Berlin presents the 30th Council of Europe Art Exhibition “The Desire for Freedom – Art in Europe since 1945”. Not the least it is most interesting that the tradition of Enlightenment is the centre of reference instead of the two-bloc confrontation between the East and the West Cold War, as one might have assumed. Thus, multifaceted approaches towards freedom by 113 artists from 28 countries can be seen; paintings, drawings, photos, videos and installations by e.g. Ian Hamilton Finlay, Gerhard Richter, René Magritte, Richard Hamilton, Tadeusz Kantor, Erik Bulatov, Aurora Reinhard and Christo, to name a few. Continue reading “The Desire for Freedom – Art in Europe since 1945 (DHM Berlin)”

“AKA Peace” Live Auction at Phillips de Pury & Company, London

After having been on show at ICA London (26-30 September 2012), the 24 works of “AKA Peace” will be auctioned on 4 October 2012 at 1930h at Phillips de Pury & Company in London versteigert. An illustrious group of contemporary artists (e.g. Mat Collishaw, Gavin Turk, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Sarah Lucas, Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley and Bran Symondson, initiated by the latter) dealt with the highly symbolic assault rifle AK-47 for the charity organisation Peace One Day.

Damien Hirst: Spin AK-47 for Peace One Day, 2012 (64 × 87.5 × 26.5 cm)