Typical German! Does such a thing even exist?
Opening: Saturday, March 7th, 5 pm
The rising poll numbers of far-right and national-conservative parties are accompanied by a shift in language. This language is characterized by an exclusionary national pride and the propagation of preserving "one's own" values. But what exactly does that mean? Is there truly such a thing as "typically German," or is it merely a construct?
The Heidenheim Art Museum takes this vague terrain as the starting point for an exhibition that explores aspects of Germanness from the perspective of visual art.
When a museum of contemporary art organizes an exhibition titled Deutsch!, it might initially seem provocative. However, the aim of the exhibition is not to promote German nationalism or to reinforce stereotypical images. Rather, the exclamation mark is intended as a question mark in the subtext, creating a space for discussion.
To this end, the exhibition brings together works by artists who, in their own unique ways, engage with history and motifs associated with Germany, or who challenge national stereotypes.
The selection of works focuses specifically on a material level. Can the history, or even the essence, of a country be discerned from concrete objects or materials and their attributions? Is there anything that is truly "typically German," and if so, could the public draw any conclusions from it? A crucial component of the presentation will therefore be its educational component, which will encourage critical reflection on several levels.
This transforms the art museum into a space of reference, where individual thematic complexes are addressed in a glimpse-like manner, without claiming to be exhaustive. The themes are based on what contemporary artists are currently exploring. In this context, two narratives can be identified: firstly, the interplay of materials and objects, and secondly, history as a material.
In summary, the exhibition explores how object-based value attribution functions and how it correlates with a national narrative. What significance do objects have in the construction of identity, and how easily can this construction be deconstructed?
Featuring works by:
Albrecht/Wilke, Antonia Alessia Virginia Beeskow, Alexander Gdanietz, Andy Heller, Kai Fischer, Bianca Patricia Isensee, Max Kersting, Jens Klein, Jody Korbach, Jaemin Lee, Anna Ley, Maximilian Martinez, Emanuel Aeneas Megersa & Michael Schlecht, Andreas Mühe, Peter Piller, Klaus Staeck, Nicholas Warburg, Karla Zipfel
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