25 Years Berlin – Buenos Aires
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the city partnership between Berlin and Buenos Aires and in the context of BIENALSUR, the exhibition explores parallel spaces of experience on both sides of the Atlantic. It presents four artistic positions from the twin cities that question the relationship between subjective and collective experience and how it is passed on. The selected works highlight historical, economic, and biographical fractures that shape cultural identity in individual ways.
Beweis zu nichts (Proof of Nothing) by Marcel Odenbach (b. 1953) focuses on the turbulent history of the Buchenwald concentration camp memorial and its ideologized culture of remembrance. Gabriela Golder (b. 1971) uses personal stories of refugees and migrants in her work Del otro lado (From The Other Side) to create an imaginary space that establishes a direct link between present and past, the Hotel de Inmigrantes and the countries of origin of the emigrated individuals. They Shoot Horses by Edith Dekyndt (b. 1960) and the monumental sculpture Madre del río (Mother of the River) by Eduardo Basualdo (b. 1977), deploy a silent imagery to give physical expression to what is both elusive and inexpressible.
The Hotel de Inmigrantes, built in the first decade of the 20th century to welcome thousands of immigrants arriving from overseas, is closely linked to the events which took place at that time in Germany and the rest of Europe. The works on display emphasize the significance of remembrance, historical connections and biographical ruptures. The title of the exhibition is a direct reference to Frank Witzel’s eponymous novel Direkt danach und kurz davor about the silence of Germany’s postwar generation. Against the backdrop of ideological instrumentalization and economic crises, the show highlights parallel experiences that shape societies on both continents and their approach to tackling current challenges.
General Coordinator: Cristina Sommer
