Architecture and Society, Arts and Politics, Censorship, Underground Scenes, and Counterculture, Cultural Discourses in the GDR, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Culture, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, History, Society & Politics
18+

Bauhaus – Shanghai – Stalinallee – Ha-Neu. The life of architect Richard Paulick, 1903­–1979

Bauhaus – Shanghai – Stalinallee – Ha-Neu. Der Lebensweg des Architekten Richard Paulick 1903 – 1979 2020 55

Richard Paulick’s career was a mosaic of contradictions — modernist Bauhaus ideals alongside socialist industrialism, avant-garde innovation woven into national architectural traditions. His life was marked by the upheavals of war, shifting ideologies, and forced relocations, yet his dedication to architecture never wavered. Paulick emerged as one of the most influential architects of the German Democratic Republic, breathing new life into war-torn cities like Dresden and Berlin, while also shaping the industrial landscapes of smaller East German towns. Remarkably, his work extended far beyond Europe’s borders, leaving a legacy in pre-communist Shanghai as well. The exhibition at the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation, a beacon of German avant-garde architecture, vividly captures Paulick’s lifelong quest for self-realization in the face of the political and social currents of the 20th century. Through his work, the complexities of personal and ideological resilience unfold, offering viewers a window into both the man and the turbulent world he helped to shape.

❏ Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother’s Cats (all episodes), Arts, Arts and Politics, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Cultures of Remembrance and Perception of Time, Documentation and Staging: Reality vs. Representation, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, Horrors of War(s), Language as a Tool for Cultural Critique, Society & Politics
18+

Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother’s Cats | Curatorial Introduction

Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother's Cats 2024 25

Sergiy Bratkov (b. 1960) is renowned for his radically unsettling and striking photographs that, beneath their vivid surface, present an unflinching report on societal conditions. Like other members of the “Kharkiv School of Photography,” his work over the past 30 years has focused on social photography. In spring 2022, the Ukrainian artist, who had been living in Moscow since 2004, emigrated to Berlin. His recent work, previously centered on outdated Soviet-era clichés and the brash new capitalism of post-Soviet Ukraine, has now been sharply refocused by the brutal realities of the ongoing war.

In this exhibition, Bratkov presents new cycles of images and videos created since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The once ironic observer has transformed into a reflective analyst, confronting the horrors of war in his former homeland. His new works grapple with this trauma while resisting the pull of hopelessness.

❏ Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother’s Cats (all episodes), Arts, Arts and Politics, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Cultures of Remembrance and Perception of Time, Documentation and Staging: Reality vs. Representation, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, Horrors of War(s), Language as a Tool for Cultural Critique, Society & Politics
18+

Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother’s Cats | Immersive Artist Tour

Sergiy Bratkov. My Brother's Cats 2024 43

Sergiy Bratkov (b. 1960) is renowned for his radically unsettling and striking photographs that, beneath their vivid surface, present an unflinching report on societal conditions. Like other members of the “Kharkiv School of Photography,” his work over the past 30 years has focused on social photography. In spring 2022, the Ukrainian artist, who had been living in Moscow since 2004, emigrated to Berlin. His recent work, previously centered on outdated Soviet-era clichés and the brash new capitalism of post-Soviet Ukraine, has now been sharply refocused by the brutal realities of the ongoing war.

In this exhibition, Bratkov presents new cycles of images and videos created since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The once ironic observer has transformed into a reflective analyst, confronting the horrors of war in his former homeland. His new works grapple with this trauma while resisting the pull of hopelessness.

Architecture and Society, Arts, Arts and Politics, Communities and Collective Identities, Cultural Discourses in the GDR, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Culture, Dimensions of Festivity, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, History, Society & Politics
18+

CLUBS of the FUTURE. Common Spaces in Transitional Societies

CLUBS der ZUKUNFT. Gemeinsame Räume in Übergangsgesellschaften 2024 54

CLUBS of the FUTURE explores the legacy of communal spaces, particularly the Houses of Culture across Europe and the former GDR, as it reflects on contemporary practices of collectivity and reform. Emerging from research into the 1,800 GDR Houses of Culture—two-thirds of which were closed post-reunification—the project addresses the societal gaps exploited by right-wing groups. Featuring innovative workshop formats, the exhibition includes Ina Wudtke’s video Greif zur Feder (Grab a Pen), Andrea Pichl’s Klub Zukunft (Future Club), and Ming Wong’s KONTAKTHOPE. Highlighting future-oriented projects, it also showcases garden initiatives like Katya Gardea Browne’s A Floating Garden & Exchange of Seeds, emphasizing the ongoing negotiation of shared civic spaces in times of transition. More at https://www.clubsofthefuture.net/

Arts and Politics, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Culture, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, History, Philosophy, Society & Politics
18+

GASTEV. How to Work

Гастев. Как надо работать 2019 45

The exhibition GASTEV. How to Work examines the profound influence of Alexey Gastev, a key figure in Soviet thought and the founder of the Central Institute of Labor (CIT). Gastev’s work in the 1920s and 1930s revolutionized labor practices through his development of scientific labor organization (NOT), blending Marxist ideology with avant-garde approaches to efficiency, biomechanics, and human-machine interaction. His theories sought to transform workers into precise, efficient elements of industrial production, reflecting the broader Soviet utopian vision of reshaping society through labor. The exhibition contextualizes Gastev’s role not just as an organizer but as a visionary whose ideas on human potential and mechanization resonate with contemporary discussions on automation and the future of work. Despite his execution during the Stalin’s Great Purge/Terror, Gastev’s legacy continues to provoke thought on the relationship between labor, politics, and the shaping of the modern human.
More at http://avantgarde.center/gastev (in Russian only)

Arts, Arts and Politics, Censorship, Underground Scenes, and Counterculture, Communities and Collective Identities, Cultural Landscapes of the Soviet Era, Culture, Dimensions of Festivity, Eastern Europe and Its Discourses, History, Individual and Collective Crises, Music, Society & Politics, The Sound of Independence: Alternative and Indie Music
18+

Notes from the Underground. Art and Alternative Music in Eastern Europe 1968-1994

Underground und Improvisation. Alternative Musik und Kunst nach 1968 2018 46

The exhibition Notes from the Underground. Art and Alternative Music in Eastern Europe 1968–1994 examines the intersection of underground music and visual arts under communist regimes in Eastern Europe. It highlights how rock, punk, and new wave music, alongside performance art, fashion, and film, became tools of countercultural expression against state control. In response to censorship and scarcity, artists and musicians created homemade instruments, produced Samizdat magazines, and distributed recordings. The exhibition underscores the role of improvisation and irony in resisting authoritarianism, with works from Poland, Yugoslavia, the Soviet Union, and Czechoslovakia, offering a new perspective on how art and music intertwined as forms of dissent.