Neuer Sächsischer Landtag © Andrea Kiehn

Research

"I don't think much of art that is only concerned with itself. Artistic language should convey something, a statement, an attitude, a question, an insight, a subjective message. At a time when people are taking a critical look at their surroundings and are looking for change, art that wants to make a difference, that intervenes in the affairs of the world, gains in importance."
Wolfgang Mattheuer (1927 - 2004)

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Current research

Affektive_Archive_Siska © Siska
Affective Archives – Artists' Travels Abroad during the GDR

The project Affective Archives – Artists' Travels Abroad during the GDR, funded by the Thyssen Foundation, is dedicated to the recollections of trips undertaken, imagined, and prevented, and searches for their archival traces and artistic testimonies.
Rubber Duck Tank Man Meme © weibo
Image Protests on Social Media

What role do images play in protest movements worldwide? To what extent can images be viewed as political actors that not only document, but shape and initiate protests online? The DFG-funded research project investigates the aesthetics, affects and algorithms of contemporary image protests on social media.

Art in Networks: The GDR and its Global Relations
Art in Networks: The GDR and its Global Relations (1949-1990)

Art in Networks seeks to reveal the connections established by artists, architects, museums and other cultural figures between the GDR and countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America, and to trace the international networks that emerged as a result.