Blixa Bargeld on Dada's Political Legacy at Zentrum für verfolgte Künste

The Zentrum für verfolgte Künste in Solingen marks the 110th anniversary of Dada with an exhibition emphasizing its political dimension between the world wars, running until September 13. Featuring works by Hugo Ball, Otto Dix, George Grosz, John Heartfield, Marta Hegemann, Hannah Höch, and Emmy Hennings, the show includes a vocal solo performance by Blixa Bargeld of Einstürzende Neubauten. In an interview, Bargeld discusses his teenage fascination with Dada, his adoption of the pseudonym from Johannes Theodor Baargeld, and the contested etymology of "Dada"—from a random dictionary pick to French slang for a sexual position. He critiques the sanitization of Dada's origins in art history and draws connections to contemporary groups like the Zentrum für Politische Schönheit. Bargeld describes his performance as "pseudoscientific entertainment," using loop machines to acoustically reconstruct the solar system, embracing controlled failure. He references Kurt Schwitters and notes Dada's debt to Futurism, particularly Marinetti's sound poetry, while asserting Dada's individualistic core.