Kurz vor Weihnachten wurde das multimediale Hauptseminar „Curated City: Abut Art, Urban Space and Public Interest“ an der Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) im Masterstudiengang „Arts Management“ erfolgreich abgeschlossen. Das interdisziplinäre und praxisorientierte 30-stündige Lehrprogramm schloss mit Achim Müller und Daniel Ongjerth erstmals zwei Projektleiter des Berlin-Budapest/St. Margereten Kulturentwicklungsprojektes ein.
Aus dem Seminar heraus bildete sich ein achtköpfiges „CAFA Collective“, das in die Programmentwicklung in Budapest eingebunden wird, und bei der Umsetzung spezieller Online-Kulturangebote helfen wird. Diese experimentelle internationale Projektkooperation fühlt sich organisational wie operativ dem „Lumbung“-Modell des documenta fifteen-Leitungskollektivs „ruangrupa“ verbunden.
„Sophie Scholl – (Hi)Stories of Courage“
A language project with the means of cultural and media empowerment in digital space
Cultural and media education in times of the pandemic provides challenges as well as opportunities. This is especially true for cultural and media education projects in interational contexts. The project „Sophie Scholl – (Hi)Stories of Courage“ paradigmatically shows the specific „profit-and-loss-account“: Commissioned by the Goethe Institute Athens and supported by the „Foundation White Rose e.V.“, the project was implemented by Stephan Reischl together with Dagmar Boeck-Siebenhaar, the community dance-choreographer Josef Eder and the media pedagogue Matthias Baumann. Planned as a physical/analogue language camp with youths from ten countries in Southeast Europe, it had to be transformed into a hybrid format because of Covid-19. Yet this at the same time offered the opportunity to step on new paths and to develop a unique multi-months digital pilot project that most probably will be the model for future international projects and workshops.
The IKMW-teamdeveloped extensive material on the project partner and on the topic „social engagement“ as well as on online workshop formats for teachers and school children.
Specifically the two central creative formats DaF(German as Foreign Language)-documentary theater and DaF-dance theater had to be realized in the digital space. From now on the challenge consisted in merging online teaching in digital space with the youths‘ real living and experience space into a hybrid community space.
The project started with a kick-off, with workshops with teachers from PASCH-schools in the region and with a small idea fair where the topic was discussed and the project materials were explained. After this it was up to the school children for the first time: Framed by three questions they were to present in a creative way relevant places, role models and challenges – formulated as a „message to the world – in their corresponding contexts, their cities or countries. All contributions of the „young Southeast European artists“ became the first element of a PASCH-VR-360-degrees-exhibition. Around 300 youths participated in this initial stage.
Subsequently the participants for the digital camp were chosen through a competion. In the camp the youths first worked on Sophie Scholl and then proceeded to discuss contemporary societal challenges and to highlight perspectives for the future. Original documents – letters, diary entries and quotes – provided the basis for first linguistic artistic teamworks across country borders. It was fascinating to experience how the PASCH-school children, prepared through a daily „online dance warm-up“, introduced their various talents into the development of works for the exhibition spaces: As „dancers“, „musicians“, „actors“, „film producers“ or „audio drama producers“ they worked together in teams, using Zomm as well as multiple othe online tools for their creative exchange.
A „world premiere“ is waiting at the end of the project: the first VR-exhibition in the history of PASCH. The „Southeast Europe“ department of the newly established VR-360-Degree-Musem presents its visitors a host of „language-artworks“ in different formats. The „South America“ department shall be online starting End of November 2021.
With their potentials with respect to sustainability and costs this kind of hybrid cultural and media education formats will be part of the future also in post-pandemic times. IKMW will proceed on this path and will further develop and expand technological, didactical, artistical, aesthetic and content-related aspects of these formats.
On September 26 2021 the hommage to Beuys „Ausfegen/Sweeping Up“ opened the Budapest Autumn festival of culture. The action/exhibition transfers Beuys‘ idea of a ritual sociopolitical „sweeping up“ to present-day Budapest. At the same time the project, produced by Dániel Ongjerth and his „Eleven Blokk Foundation“ and Klaus Siebenhaar from IKMW, represents the start of a long-term cooperation between Budapest’s 2nd district St. Margret, the „Eleven Blokk Foundation“ and the IKMW, aimed at the paradigmatic development of the 2nd district with artistic scientific methods. Working with Beuys‘ ideas of „sweeping up“, „exhibiting“ and „social sculpture“ and with the inclusion and participation of citizens, the development process is to initiate and implement sustainable cultural activities of community building.
As a foundation a study on the district will be realized.Throughout 2022 multiple projects in culture, media and arts are planned. Within the cooperation between Berlin and Budapest they will be realized with local partners and citizens. A cooperation agreement between IKMW, the „Eleven Blokk Foundation“ and the district government has already been signed. In addition the IKMW plans to establish an independent branch office in Budapest.
Exhibition „Joseph Beuys and the documenta“ opens in the German Embassy in Beijing
On September 2021 the German Ambassador Prof. Dr. Jan Hecker opened the exhibition „Joseph Beuys and the documenta in his Beijing residence. The exhibition was curated from Berlin in a cooperation between the documenta-Archive Kassel and the Zeppelin University. In a live transmission from Berlin the former treasury secretary Hans Eichel and the curator Klaus Siebenhaar discussed about the project „7000 Oaks“. The director of the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, Prof. Dr. Yu Ding, talked about Kassel, the documenta and China, followed by seven CAFA students who presented their perception of Beuys on the basis of their seminar „Cosmos Beuys“ in Summer 2021.
In the main hall of the residence numerous photos, documents and television extracts describe the development of Beuys‘ „expanded concept of art“ with reference to his appearances in the documenta from 1964 to 1982 and post mortem in 1987/92. Alongside, a team of CAFA students from the accompanying seminar „Cosmos Beuys“ transformed the residence’s library into a stand-alone montage exhibition.
With great distress we had to learn about the sudden and unexpected death of the new German Ambassador Jan Hecker two days after the opening of the exhibition.
„Budapest x Berlin“-Project relaunched
The project series „Budapest x Berlin“, started in 2018 as a cooperation of IKMW with the Foundation Starke, Berlin, and the Eleven Blokk Art Foundation, Budapest, has been relaunched in September 2021. On September 10 the exhibition „Menschen und Städte. Kim Corbusier“ („People and Cities. Kim Corbusier“) opened in the Löwenpalais of Foundation Starke in Berlin, followed on September 26 by the action „Ausfegen 21“ („Sweeping Up 21“), the start to new urban development project St. Margret.
Both the works of Kim Corbusier, deceased at the age of 27, that are shown outside hungary for the first time, and the action „Ausfegen“ intensify IKMW’s postpandemic art projects.
The IKMW together with B&S Siebenhaar Verlag+Medien have set up their new headquarters in the affluent Grunewald. Through the combination the broad lounge and exhibition spaces of the Starke Foundation the new location also offers manifold possibilities for events and ccoperations.
Ausstellungseröffnung „Joseph Beuys und die documenta“ in der Deutschen Botschaft in Peking
Am 3. September 2021 wurde vom deutschen Botschafter Prof. Dr. Jan Hecker die von Berlin aus in Kooperation mit dem documenta-Archiv Kassel und der Zeppelin Universität Friedrichshafen kuratierte Kabinett-Ausstellung „Joseph Beuys und die documenta“ in seiner Pekinger Residenz eröffnet. In einem Art-Talk sprachen und diskutierten aus Berlin live zugeschaltet Finanzsenator a. D. Hans Eichel und Kurator Klaus Siebenhaar über das „7000 Eichen“-Projekt, der Direktor der Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Peking, Prof. Dr. Yu Ding, über Kassel, die documenta und China sowie sieben CAFA-Studentinnen über ihre Beuys-Images auf der Grundlage ihres „Cosmos-Beuys“-Seminars im Sommersemester 2021.
Neben zahlreichen Fotos, Dokumenten und Fernsehsequenzen in der Haupthalle der Residenz, die die Entwicklung des Beuysschen „Erweiterten Kunstbegriffs“ anhand seiner documenta-Auftritte 1964 bis 1982 und posthum 1987/1992 nachzeichnen und vermitteln, hat das studentische CAFA-Team des begleitend stattfindenden „Cosmos Beuys“-Seminars den Bibliotheksraum in eine eigenständige Ausstellungs-Montage transformiert. Über 80 geladene Gäste, u. a. chinesische Künstler, Kuratoren und Kunstprofessoren, zeigten sich von Idee, Konzeption und Umsetzung beeindruckt. Ein kleines Begleitbuch in deutscher und chinesischer Sprache bietet eine Einführung in Beuys‘ Kunst- und Weltbild.
Mit großer Bestürzung haben wir den völlig unerwarteten, plötzlichen Tod des neuen deutschen Botschafters Jan Hecker zwei Tage nach der Eröffnung zur Kenntnis nehmen müssen.
„Budapest x Berlin“-Projekt mit Neustart
Im September 2021 ist die 2018 begonnene Kulturprojekt-Reihe „Budapest x Berlin“, eine Kooperation des IKMW mit der Kulturstiftung Starke, Berlin, und der Eleven Blokk Art Foundation, Budapest, fortgesetzt worden. In Berlin wurde am 10. September im Löwenpalais der Kunststiftung Starke die Ausstellung „Menschen und Städte: Kim Corbusier“ eröffnet, und am 26. September folgt in Budapest als Hommage à Beuys die Aktion „Ausfegen 21“, mit der das neue Kultur- und Stadtentwicklungsprojekt St. Margret eröffnet wird. Sowohl die erstmals außerhalb Ungarns gezeigten Werke der mit 27 Jahren bereits verstorbenen Kim Corbusier als auch die „Ausfegen“-Aktion intensivieren die internationalen postpandemischen Kunstprojekte des IKMW.
Das IKMW hat gemeinsam mit dem B&S Siebenhaar Verlag+Medien im Löwenpalais im feinen Grunewald sein Hauptquartier aufgeschlagen. In Verbindung mit den großzügigen Lounge- und Ausstellungsräumen der Kunststiftung Starke bieten sich damit auch vielfältige Veranstaltungsmöglichkeiten und Kooperationen an.
