Maximiliane Baumgartner Probes Nazi Continuities in Düsseldorf Exhibition

Maximiliane Baumgartner's solo exhibition 'Proxy – Der Bürger als Pflanze' at Kunstverein für die Rheinlande und Westfalen Düsseldorf examines Nazi-era spatial and architectural remnants across three chapters. The first chapter engages with the historic Hof-Atelier Elvira and the 1937 'Degenerate Art' exhibition at what is now Kunstverein München. The second focuses on painter Dore Meyer-Vax in postwar Nuremberg, highlighting queer-feminist resistance to Nazi spatial politics. The third chapter centers on Düsseldorf's Nordpark, created in 1937 for the 'Große Reichsausstellung Schaffendes Volk' propaganda exhibition, which involved the violent eviction of the Heinefeld settlement and deportation of Roma and Sinti residents. The park, a listed site since 1986, lacks critical commentary on its history. Baumgartner's works question how the city 'democratized' the park post-1945 and what was suppressed. The exhibition title 'Proxy' raises issues of agency and representation, with plants acting as stand-ins for the public. An on-site construction sign at the Nordpark entrance aligns with the Mahnmalachse (memorial axis) to Düsseldorf's Nordfriedhof cemetery. Curated by Clara Maria Blasius, the exhibition is supported by Karin und Uwe Hollweg Stiftung, Kulturamt der Landeshauptstadt Düsseldorf, Kunst- und Kulturstiftung der Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf, and Galerie Max Mayer, Berlin.