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Lecture “‘An artwork, liked by men’ – 100 Years of War as Mirrored by Art” (Berlin)

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Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War (Imperial War Museum North, Manchester)

From 12 October 2013 until 23 February 2014, the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester presents the exhibition “Catalyst: Contemporary Art and War”, containing works of more than 40 contemporary artists about war in our time. The IWM’s huge and diverse collection could provide all the more than 70 works that have been made sinde the Gulf War of 1990/91. Among others, Steve McQueen, Frauke Eigen, Paul Seawright, Rasheed Araeen and Willie Doherty take part in this exhibition.

© kennardphillipps, Photo Op, IWM ART 17541 (pigment print)

Gavrilo Princip (Galerie im Weltecho, Chemnitz)

From 7 September until 4 October 2013, the gallery at Weltecho in Chemnitz presents the video installation “Gavrilo Princip” by the two Czech artists Jana Morkovska and Olga Alia Krulisova. In their work, they address the historic events of the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian heir apparent Archduke Franz Ferdinand on 28 June 1914, in which his wife was killed, too. This assassination is regarded as trigger for a chain of events that led to the First World War.

Harun Farocki: Serious Games I-IV (Videoart at Midnight, Berlin)

On Friday 25 January 2013 at 2400h, the project Videoart at Midnight presents the four video installations Serious Games I-IV (2010) by the German documentary filmmaker and media artist Harun Farocki. Since some four years, the collector Ivo Wessel and the gallery owner Olaf Stüber present video art once a month at the cinema Kino Babylon in Berlin-Mitte. The four works by Farocki address training methods by the U.S. military and computer-based support of soldiers affected by post-traumatic stress disorder. Passing between war games, war simulations and real war seems to become increasingly fluent.

Upper-Class Barbarians: Masquerades of Systemic Violence (ratskeller, Berlin)

From 8 November 2012 until 18 January 2013, ratskeller – Galerie für zeitgenössische Kunst (town hall cellar – gallery for contemporary art) in the basement of the town hall of Berlin-Lichtenberg presents the group show Barbaren der Oberschicht – Maskeraden systemischer Gewalt (Upper-Class Barbarians – Masquerades of Systemic Violence). An interesting contribution are Florian Göttke’s book and video installation “toppled”, addressing the countless statues of Saddam Husseins in Iraq: after Hussein was toppled, his statues shared the same fate. From symbols of his power, they became icons of his downfall, quite fitting to the dictator who at the end was pulled from a hole in the ground as dirty fugitive with a matted beard.

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)”

Fortresses: Inside and Outside – Young Art from Leipzig (Festung Rosenberg, Kronach)

The exhibition “Festungen: Innen und Außen” (Fortresses: Inside and Outside; 5 July to 31 October 2012) presents position from 22 artists on the meaning of fortresses in our time. It forms the artistic complementary exhibition to this year’s Bayern-Ausstellung (Bavaria Exhibition) “Festungen – Frankens Bollwerke” (Fortresses: Franconia’s Strongholds) at Festung Rosenberg in Kronach (17 May to 21 October 2012). Continue reading

“The Prose of Events” Opened at ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin

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Wartist presents: “Jens Kloppmann – The Prose of Events” at ARD-Hauptstadtstudio

We are pleased to announce another exhibition at ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, Berlin: “Die Prosa der Ereignisse” (The Prose ov Events), to be opened on 7 February 2012. Several cycles and other individual works by Jens Kloppmann will form a cross-section of his work. Both the materials and techniques used are manifold and reach from video installations and retouched photos to plaster casts and fretworks, to name a few. Ulrich Deppendorf, Head of ARD-Hauptstadtstudio, will open the exhibition that is curated by Martin Bayer . This exhibition, too, will be kindly supported by Deutsche Atlantische Gesellschaft e.V. and SONY Deutschland.

Luftkampf, 160x80cm (©2003 Jens Kloppmann)

Wartist presents: “6:57 P.M.” by Jens Kloppmann at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Berlin)

Berlin-based artist Jens Kloppmann will present his impressive video installation “6:57 P.M.” as artistic supporting programme to the international symposium “Memorial Mania – Negotiating Social and Political Strategies of Memory” of the American Academy Berlin at Haus der Kulturen der Welt (9-10 December 2011, see this Wartist article). The conference will address various issues of the culture of remembrance, including the tenth anniversary of the terrorist acts of 9/11, with an emphasis on memorials and both German and American approaches.

6:57 P.M., video stills (©2011 Jens Kloppmann)