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21/4/2009

Image Battles

Different Venues , Osnabruck

A cooperative project of the Museum Industriekultur, the Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, the Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum and the European Media Art Festival.

The exhibition entitled "Image Battles - 2000 years of news from the war" shows new and unusual perspectives of war reporting from the ancient world to the present. Cooperation between the European Media Art Festival, the Museum Industriekultur Osnabrück (Museum for Industrial Heritage), the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Centre and the Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche (Dominican Church Art Hall) enables a composition of exhibits from the areas of technology - media - art to be shown for the very first time. How have technological developments altered the image of war? Why are war reports such successful consumer goods? The international artists selected by the European Media Art Festival encounter the published truths from the war with grave doubts. They explore the allegedly authentic media reports controversially and wilfully. The exhibition shows that "image battles" tend to develop in the mind of the viewer rather than "images of battles".

The exhibition, consisting of three parts, will be shown in the Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche, the Museum Industriekultur and the Erich Maria Remarque Peace Centre in Osnabrück from 22 April to 4 October. Artistic, technical and historical exhibits are assembled in each of the three establishments. Historical documents, technical exhibits, films and photographs demonstrate how the images of war have changed in line with the development of the media. Installations, collages, sculptures and interactive works will be shown from the world of art.

The historic development shows that the need for images of battles and war reporting has always enhanced the spread of new media. Even printing took root at the end of the Middle Ages due to the demand for images of battles. Photography was significantly advanced in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71. The war in Vietnam became the first military conflict that viewers were able to follow on their screens. Thanks to the 1991 Gulf War, CNN was able to win global recognition. Hermann Noering, member of Artistic Board of the European Media Art Festival: "It is difficult to explain why there is such fascination with the spectacle of war - whether in games, Hollywood films or magazines - by voyeurism alone."
The perception of war was, and is, determined by the media. In the 21st century, all eye witnesses have the possibility to create images of war on their camera phones and to distribute them on the web. War reporting is therefore democratised, since it seems to be removed from the control of the military. At the same time, however, it has become impossible to verify the authenticity. Despite the progress of information technology, however, it was and is not possible to create an authentic portrayal of the reality of war, because "realism in the cinema would constitute a hand grenade exploding in the auditorium," commented the Vietnam veteran William D. Ehrhardt in 1998.

Lida Abdul: "Airplane / In Transit"
Emphasize will be placed on the development of media competence for young people and schools. School classes will be guided by similar peer groups under the motto "students guide students" Additional background information will be provided by an exhibition catalogue, research documents pertaining to the conference and finally through a comprehensive internet web-site.

An international research conference will take place from the September 3rd -6th titled "Machines of Truth". Of central importance will be the influence of technological innovation in the area of wartime news coverage. This topic will span the time periods from ancient Greece onto the 21st century. The central question will be: How have the fine arts, literature, photography and film reacted to these changes. The convention will be opened to a wide range of individuals, both in the public and private sector.

Artists:
Martha Rosler: "Bringing The War Home", Lida Abdul ("In Transit"), KP Brehmer ("Stukas, 2x täglich Zähneputzen"), Christoph Büchel ("PSYOP - Capture their minds and their hearts will follow"), Christoph Draeger ("Dear Old Battleground, Mean Old Killing Fields (War is History)"), Harun Farocki ("Auge Maschine III"), Regina José Galindo ("Confession"), David Hahlbrock ("FeldGenerator2"), Lynn Hershman ("America's Finest"), Jan Hoeft ("Field Strip"), Christoph Wachter & Mathias Jud ("Zone*Interdite"), Markus Kison ("Touched Echo"), Mischa Kuball ("CNN"), Andree Korpys/Markus Löffler("Nuclear Football"), Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle ("The Radio" + "Phantom Truck"), Bjørn Melhus ("Still Men Out There"), Jens Pecho ("Slow Motion For Charly"), Evelina Rajca ("Lockvogel"), Gerhard Richter ("Bridge 14 Feb 45"), Johanna Reich ("Front"), Martha Rosler ("Bringing The War Home"), Ruth Schnell ("All Targets Defined"), Christoph Schlingensief ("Lager ohne Grenzen"), Aleksandra Signer ("Schlotterbeck"), RothStauffenberg ("Untitled Characters"), Oliver van den Berg ("Kameras"), Wolf Vostell ("So leben wir Abend für Abend vor dem Fernsehschirm"), Harry Walter ("Eichmann Fleischmann Neckermann").

In Cooperation with COLOSSAL (Kunst Fakt Fiktion. Künstlerische Leitung: Jan Hoet. Ein Projekt des Landschaftsverbandes Osnabrücker Land e.V. 2009 bis 2011):
Wilfried Hagebölling ("Abu Ghureib 2003/2004"), Dennis Oppenheim ("Battle Drums").

Image: Oliver van den Berg: Kameras, D 2007, Nadelholz. Photo: Thomas Bruns

Press contact:
Karoline Kraut Tel. 0541/ 216 58 presse@emaf.de

Opening 22 April 2009 h 19.30

The locations:

Museum Industriekultur Osnabrück
Süberweg 50a | 49090 Osnabrück

Kunsthalle Dominikanerkirche
Hasemauer 1 | 49074 Osnabrück

Erich Maria Remarque-Friedenszentrum
Markt 6 | 49074 Osnabrück

Image Battles opening hours at all locations:
Tuesday - Sunday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

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