German Histories
03 Feb 2007 - 20 Jan 2008
Curated by Heidi Stecker, Barbara Steiner
in cooperation with: Marion Porten, Kay Bachmann, Markus Dreßen, Philipp Paulsen
For reasons of space, the GfZK has in the past only shown a restricted selection of the collection at any one time. The new building (GfZK-2) for the first time offers the opportunity of presenting these works in alternation, as an ongoing exhibition. In collaboration with the artists Marion Porten and Liam Gillick, an exhibition has been created that while following social discontinuities, documents changes in attitudes and the perception of art and the effects of these changes on art collection. The first presentation from the collection features artists from former East Germany, former West Germany and the reunified Germany, as well as both international and locally active artists of various generations.
The aim is to carry on a lively discussion of various conceptions of artistic quality, as well as systems of value and cultural consensus or dissent, against the background of current related debates both in a local setting and in the international arena. The relationship between east and west, which continues to be a fertile source of conflict, serves as a conceptual starting point. Following the first presentation, further interpretations will be developed in close collaboration with artists, designers and teachers.