'everybody' at Georg Kolbe Museum Confronts the Body Under Fascist Strain
The exhibition 'everybody' will take place from August 8 to November 29, 2026, at Berlin's Georg Kolbe Museum, drawing inspiration from Olivia Laing's 2021 work, 'Everybody – A Book about Freedom.' This museum, which was once the home of sculptor Georg Kolbe, showcases his bronze sculptures that reflect Nazi ideals. Opening the exhibition are Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju's leather torsos crafted from repurposed hides. Additionally, a video installation by Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz features Chelsea Manning performing at the now-defunct queer venue SchwuZ. Lauryn Youden's installation showcases a daybed suspended in mid-air alongside tables adorned with ribbons. Ilupeju's live program included yoga poses among Kolbe's sculptures, concluding with a paddling pool where Kolbe's 'Dancers' Fountain' was located until last year.
Key facts
- 'everybody' runs Aug. 8–Nov. 29, 2026 at the Georg Kolbe Museum, Sensburger Allee 25, 14055 Berlin
- The group show is curated around Olivia Laing's 2021 book 'Everybody – A Book about Freedom'
- Georg Kolbe's 1930s–40s bronzes performed Nazi ideals of the perfected, militarized body; Hitler acquired his works
- Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju made leather torsos by stretching discarded hides over Kolbe's sculptures
- Pauline Boudry and Renate Lorenz's 'All The Things She Said' stars Chelsea Manning DJing to an empty room at the closed Berlin queer club SchwuZ
- Lauryn Youden's works adapt furniture by designer and architect Eileen Gray, including 'siège d'amour (Edward VII)'
- Ilupeju's live performance ended in a paddling pool placed where Kolbe's 'Dancers' Fountain' stood until last year
- The review is by Jesse Slater, published Oct. 9, 2026, as part of a Performativity feature
Entities
Artists
- Jesse Slater
- Georg Kolbe
- Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju
- Olivia Laing
- Pauline Boudry
- Renate Lorenz
- Chelsea Manning
- Lauryn Youden
- Eileen Gray
- Adolf Hitler
Institutions
- Georg Kolbe Museum
- Berlin Art Link
- SchwuZ
- National Socialist party
- Villa Heinrich Stahl
Locations
- Berlin
- Germany
- Charlottenburg
- Berlin Dahlem
- Iraq
- Afghanistan
- United States