Tweed Museum of Art presents GDR underground art in first major US exhibition
From February 2 to May 15, 2022, the University of Minnesota Duluth's Tweed Museum of Art presented 'Anti-Social Art: Experimental Practices in Late East Germany.' This exhibition, curated by Sara Blaylock and Sarah James, showcased the work of over thirty artists active during the 1980s and early 1990s in the German Democratic Republic, emphasizing marginalized voices utilizing transient media. Divided into three sections, it featured lithographs by Jürgen Schieferdecker and typewriter drawings by Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt. The exhibition also spotlighted publications from groups like Clara Mosch and included notable pieces such as the 'Ten Commandments for the New Socialist People' and a letter from Christa Wolf dated 1989, exploring themes of power and cultural erasure after 1990, along with a complimentary publication of essays and artwork.
Key facts
- Exhibition ran February 2–May 15, 2022 at Tweed Museum of Art in Duluth, Minnesota
- Curated by Sara Blaylock and Sarah James
- Featured over thirty artists and collectives from 1980s–early 1990s GDR
- Focused on ephemeral media: works on paper, photography, publications
- Included Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt's typewriter drawing 'Atomic Tree' from mid-1970s
- Showcased Jürgen Schieferdecker's lithograph 'Continental Art No. 4: DOR' from 1979
- Highlighted publications from Clara Mosch collective and Eigen + Art space
- Presented 'Ten Commandments for the New Socialist People' (1958) and 'Für unser Land' letter (1989)
Entities
Artists
- Sara Blaylock
- Sarah James
- Willi Sitte
- Werner Tübke
- Bernhard Heisig
- Ruth Wolf-Rehfeldt
- Jürgen Schieferdecker
- Christa Wolf
- Stefan Heym
- Gundula Schulze Eldowy
- Gabriele Stötzer
- Cornelia Schleime
- Gabriele Muschter
- Hildrud Ebert
- Tina Bara
- Peter Theime
- Robert Rehfeldt
- Michael Brendel
- Else Gabriel
- Rainer Görß
- Karen Finley
- Bob Flanagan
- Carlfriedrich Claus
- Michael Morgner
- Thomas Ranft
- Dagmar Ranft-Schinke
- Gregor-Torsten Schade
- Seth Howe
- Briana Smith
- Olivia Cordray
- Monica Sheets
- Anselm Feuerbach
- Walter Ulbricht
- Elsbeth Kördel
- Mary Beth Edelson
- Eugen Blume
Institutions
- Tweed Museum of Art
- University of Minnesota at Duluth
- German Democratic Republic
- Federal Republic of Germany
- GDR Artists' Union
- Dresden Technical University
- Neues Deutschland
- Socialist Unity Party of Germany
- Ministry for State Security
- Clara Mosch
- Eigen + Art
- Das Fundbuero
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts
- ARTMargins Online
- German Democratic Republic (GDR)
Locations
- Duluth
- Minnesota
- United States
- German Democratic Republic
- East Germany
- Karl-Marx-Stadt
- Leipzig
- East Berlin
- Dresden
- Germany
- Bitterfeld
- Hiroshima
- Japan
- Minneapolis
Sources
- ARTMargins —
- ARTMargins —