Aino Laberenz on Christoph Schlingensief: Gropius Bau Exhibition and the Burden of His Legacy

A major exhibition of works by Christoph Schlingensief opens this week at the Gropius Bau in Berlin, following a previous showing in Vienna. Titled "Es ist nicht mehr mein Problem, macht eure Scheiße alleine," the show is accompanied by an interview with Aino Laberenz, Schlingensief's widow, who administers his estate, including an opera village in Burkina Faso. Laberenz, who worked closely with her partner during the 2000s, says she often spends more on the estate than she earns from it. Asked what defined Schlingensief, she cites "Haftung und Haltung" — accountability and attitude — and adds that humor should not be forgotten. The interview opens with a reference to recent cultural commentary: when a controversy erupted over a swimming pool in front of the Volksbühne, Die Zeit wrote that Schlingensief would have been delighted, while Die Welt said he would have been enchanted by the wellness oasis. Laberenz's stewardship of the estate and the Burkina Faso opera village continues to shape how Schlingensief's work is presented and remembered.