Ruhr Triennale’s Landscapes of an Ongoing Past Explores Industrial and Soviet Legacies
At the Zollverein coal mine complex in Essen, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Ruhr Triennale cultural festival showcases the exhibition Landscapes of an Ongoing Past. This exhibition delves into the historical impacts of Soviet rule and authoritarianism in Eastern Europe. It includes Ilya & Emilia Kabakov’s installation The Palace of Projects (2001), which pays tribute to Ukrainian artist Fedir Tetianych (1942–2007), along with Driant Zeneli’s video Maybe the cosmos is not so extraordinary (2019). Additional pieces feature Marta Dyachenko’s Floating Island and Nino Kvrivishvili’s tapestries DAISI and AISI. The Zollverein complex, operational from 1847 until 1986, now serves as a venue for the Ruhr Museum and various cultural events, with the exhibition part of the Ruhr Triennale program.
Key facts
- Exhibition Landscapes of an Ongoing Past is part of the Ruhr Triennale in Essen, Duisburg, and Bochum.
- Venue is the Salzlager of the Zollverein coal mine complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Show focuses on Soviet and authoritarian legacies in Eastern Europe.
- Includes Ilya & Emilia Kabakov’s permanent installation The Palace of Projects (2001).
- Honors Ukrainian artist Fedir Tetianych (1942–2007).
- Features Driant Zeneli’s video Maybe the cosmos is not so extraordinary (2019), shown at the Venice Biennale.
- Marta Dyachenko’s Floating Island addresses infrastructure and social development.
- Nino Kvrivishvili’s tapestries DAISI and AISI critique Soviet impact on Georgian weaving.
- Zollverein operated from 1847 to 1986, producing up to 1 million tons of coal annually.
- The site now includes the Ruhr Museum (opened 2010) and a 70-hectare park with over 700 species.
Entities
Artists
- Ilya Kabakov
- Emilia Kabakov
- Fedir Tetianych
- Driant Zeneli
- Marta Dyachenko
- Nino Kvrivishvili
- Niccolò Lucarelli
Institutions
- Ruhr Triennale
- Zollverein
- UNESCO
- Biennale di Venezia
- Ruhr Museum
- Artribune
Locations
- Essen
- Duisburg
- Bochum
- Westphalia
- Germany
- Albania
- Georgia
- Ukraine