With ” ART & HALLS. A SENSE FOR ART BEYOND WALLS”, the Reinbeckhallen Foundation and the Kunsthalle Rostock will present an extensive special exhibition from 20 November 2021 to 20 February 2022 that combines a selection from the two collections and unites them with contemporary positions by Berlin artists. From an art historical perspective, topics such as changing exhibition policies and transformational exhibition venues as well as cross-border cultural exchange will be illuminated. The exhibition is curated by art historian Tereza de Arruda.
Image above: Kunsthalle Rostock, Opening of the 8th Biennale of the Baltic Sea Countries,1979, © Jürgen Sindermann
Origin, development, upheaval – the exhibition policy of the Kunsthalle Rostock as a prestige object of the GDR and its dialogue with Berlin’s art life is illuminated by the first joint exhibition of the two institutions. More than 30 years after reunification, the Kunsthalle Rostock, the only new art museum in the GDR, is being renovated. In the course of this, it is partially closed and shows its collection in the Reinbeckhallen. Objects from both collections serve as the starting point for the exhibition: Paintings, sculptures, prints and photographs from 1908 to the present. Together with former furnishings and documentary presentations of previously realised exhibitions, a comprehensive historical impression of the programme and atmosphere of the Kunsthalle Rostock is conveyed.
The theme of human existence and its surroundings in landscape as well as urban contexts, which shape its essence, runs through the exhibition as a motivic thread. In the synopsis, the institutions enable both a commentary on the current longing for stability and cohesion as well as discourses on their (cultural) historical parallels. Questions about institutional models, their programming of exhibitions, form the anchor points.
Transformations of (art) spaces
As a beacon of the North, the Kunsthalle Rostock has been a mediator of art and culture between two political systems since the 1960s. With the Biennale of the Baltic Sea Countries, it showed international artists, also from non-socialist countries, in the former GDR. In this way, the Kunsthalle Rostock established itself as a cosmopolitan platform on the international stage. The focus of its collection is East German art, which in its line of tradition goes back to the time before 1920, thus forging links with the art history of the whole of Germany in the early 20th century.
Closing ranks with Berlin
In the Reinbeckhallen, which between 1946 and the early 1990s were known as the VEB Transformatorenwerk “Karl Liebknecht” and functioned as the so-called “court supplier” of the energy industry of the GDR, the Reinbeckhallen Foundation has been presenting art exhibitions since 2017, which have already referred to their historical location several times.
183 x 123 cm, Loan of the artist, Courtesy DIEHL, Thomas Florschuetz © Thomas Florschuetz
To this day, the Berlin art scene finds its second home at the Kunsthalle Rostock, where it has been represented in numerous exhibitions. The Reinbeckhallen Foundation invites the Kunsthalle Rostock to present itself at its special, former industrial location and sets an example for a supra-regional and historical dialogue between two institutions.
The exhibition presents a total of 57 artistic positions. It combines a selection of exhibits from the Kunsthalle Rostock and the collection of the Reinbeckhallen Foundation with 15 positions by contemporary artists: With Norbert Bisky, Emmanuel Bornstein, Thomas Florschuetz, Gregor Hildebrandt, Leiko Ikemura, Uwe Kowski, Clemens Krauss, Ute Mahler & Werner Mahler, Maix Mayer, Andreas Mühe, Konrad Mühe, Ramona Seyfarth, Chiharu Shiota, Sergei Tchoban and Tanja Zimmermann.
Solange Lingnau, Director of the Reinbeckhallen Foundation
“The exhibition curated by Tereza de Arruda ‘Art & Halls. Kunstsinn über Wauern hinweg’ curated by Tereza de Arruda offers us the opportunity to discuss current cultural-political structures and their change, to reflect on our own position as a cultural institution and to recognise ourselves in this very current scenario. The exhibition allows a glimpse into these discussions, which are especially stimulating for us as a young institution.”
Dr. Uwe Neumann, Director of the Kunsthalle Rostock
“The history of the Kunsthalle Rostock is of outstanding significance. It was built in 1969 for the Baltic Sea Biennial, the only biennial in the former GDR. With its purist architecture, it is a timeless place with international standing. In addition to dealing with our own collection, it was always important for us to do justice to our special significance as the only new art museum in the GDR. For many artists from this period, we were the first exhibition address after reunification. We are very pleased that many artists, especially from the Berlin area, who we showed in our museum can now be seen in Berlin, partly due to acquisitions from our collection.
The exhibition is curated by Tereza de Arruda in cooperation with the Reinbeckhallen Foundation and the Kunsthalle Rostock. The art historian has been working as a guest curator at Kunsthalle Rostock since 2016 and has contributed to various projects of the Reinbeckhallen Foundation.
The exhibition is accompanied by a programme consisting of artist:inside talks, tours and educational guided tours.
The exhibition catalogue will be presented on 11 December 2021.
Exhibition design and publication: Huelsenberg Studio
WHERE?
Stiftung Reinbeckhallen Sammlung für Gegenwartskunst
Reinbeckstraße 11
12459 Berlin-Oberschöneweide
WHEN?
Tue–Fri 4:00 – 8:00 pm
Sat–Sun 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
closed on
24.12., 25.12, 26.12. and 31.12.
COSTS?
9 EUR / 4 EUR reduced
To the accompagnying programme
