Transitions: On the effects of social upheavals in artistic work

With works by: Eva Backofen, Klaus Dennhardt, Else Gabriel, Hubertus Giebe, Eberhard Göschel, Peter Graf, Angela Hampel, Günther Hornig, Matthias Jackisch, Petra Kasten, Ralf Kerbach, Gerda Lepke, Stefan Plenkers, Christine Schlegel, Tobias Stengel

riesa efau, Motorenhalle. Project center for contemporary art
October 26, 2024 - March 2, 2025

Curators: Gwendolin Kremer, Silke Wagler, Frank Eckhardt

Participating institutions:
riesa efau. Culture Forum Dresden
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections), Art Fund
TUD Dresden University of Technology, Scientific and Art Collections

In cooperation with:
Saxon Academy of Arts

About the exhibition:

The group exhibition "Transitions. On the effects of social upheavals in artistic work" shows around 50 paintings, works on paper, sculptures and sculptures by 15 artists with a biographical connection to Dresden from the 1980s and 1990s as well as the early 2000s in the engine hall of riesa efau.

The starting point is the period around 1989/90: Suddenly, society was upside down. What had just been valid was obsolete. Art, which had just been important, became a minor matter in the face of the upheaval in society as a whole - for most people. Some have already left the country for a completely different society in the West, for an established federal and capitalist system. Those who stayed are now also experiencing a fundamental system change with profound effects on all areas of life. Positive and negative points of friction - for many the basis of legitimacy for political attitudes and artistic practices - lose their validity from one day to the next.

The exhibition "Transitions" asks how such a momentous socio-political upheaval as a sudden caesura directly shapes and changes the work and practice of artists. What relevance did the long years of transformation since 1989/90 have? Is it even possible to trace the development of an artist's work independently of external influences?

The group exhibition highlights works from the 1980s, the 1990s and, as a biographical extension, the early 2000s. For the first time, this comprehensive presentation allows visitors to experience these periods in a concise artistic synopsis. Some of the exhibited works will be on public display again after a long time, others for the first time ever.

In the program accompanying the exhibition, the artists will have their say in person. The bi-weekly artist talks offer the opportunity for an intensive exchange. Guided tours and workshops will also be offered during the exhibition. On February 7 and 8, 2025, art scholars, historians, sociologists and artists will meet in the Motorenhalle for a public symposium to discuss current perspectives on the topic.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a richly illustrated catalog with contributions by Frank Eckhardt, April Eisman, Teresa Ende, Matthias Flügge, Susanne Greinke, Tino Heim, Pauline Hohn, Paul Kaiser, Gregor H. Lersch, Astrid Nielsen, Carolin Quermann, Karl-Siegbert Rehberg, Johannes Schmidt, Christoph Tannert, Silke Wagler, Mathias Wagner, Angelia Weißbach and others.

Transitionen

Supported by:
Ostdeutsche Sparkassenstiftung
Cultural Foundation of the Free State of Saxony
City of Dresden, Office for Culture and Monument Protection

Lender:
Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden (Dresden State Art Collections), Albertinum and Kunstfonds des Freistaates Sachsen,
Dresden Municipal Gallery,
Artists,
private property