Iconoclash!
dal 3/11/2009 al 7/1/2010
Segnalato da
3/11/2009
Iconoclash!
Goethe-Institut Washington, Washington
Using examples from material culture, the exhibition 'Iconoclash! - Political Imagery from the Berlin Wall to German Unification' captures the sentiments during the decades of change from the 1980s to the present. The objects range from flags, portraits of political leaders, political posters, and t-shirts to chunks of the Berlin Wall. Some of the exhibited items have seen a spectacular trajectory-from a venerated icon, to an object of mockery, to a popular commodity.
In Fall 1989, the Wall dividing East and West Germany fell, bringing about transformations that permanently altered the trajectory of politics and society. Using examples from material culture, the exhibition Iconoclash! – Political Imagery from the Berlin Wall to German Unification, premiering at the Goethe-Institut Washington November 4, 2009 – January 8, 2010, captures the sentiments during the decades of change from the 1980s to the present.
Political iconography is established with meaning and purpose. Tampering with an icon reflects that the original value system has been altered, compromised, or simply fallen away, creating new meanings in the process. This array of objects reflects the abrupt transformations during the last twenty years. They also represent the legacy of the people who produced, consumed and used the material culture of the Eastern Bloc as a canvas for political expression, commemoration, humor, or even entrepreneurial opportunity.
The objects range from flags, portraits of political leaders, political posters, and t-shirts to chunks of the Berlin Wall. Some of the exhibited items have seen a spectacular trajectory-from a venerated icon, to an object of mockery, to a popular commodity. Some have remained as they were twenty years ago; others have become desired collectors' items.
This exhibition of political and cultural artifacts and their changed meaning commemorates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Wall. Objects on loan from the Wende Museum, a musuem and archive of the Cold War in Culver City, California. Support for Iconoclash! is provided by Friends of the Goethe-Institut. An exhibition catalog, made possible by the Heinrich Bőll Foundation, accompanies the exhibition.
Press contact:
Norma Broadwater tel 202-289-1200, ext. 106 email nbroadwater@washington.goethe.org
Opening discussion and reception: Wednesday, November 4, 6:30 - 9 pm
6:30 pm: Discussion with Panelists
Markus Meckel, Minister of Foreign Affairs, GDR (1990); Member of the German Bundestag (1990-2009)
Richard Barkley, United States Ambassador to the German Democratic Republic (1988-1990)
Moderated by Pia Bungarten, Friedrich Ebert Foundation DC
8 pm: Tour and reception
With explanatory remarks by Marion Deshmukh, co-curator, George Mason University.
RSVP to 202-289-1200 ext. 169 or rsvp@washington.goethe.org
Organized in cooperation with the Friedrich Ebert Foundation
Goethe-Institut Washington
812 Seventh St. NW Washington, DC 20001
Gallery hours: Monday to Thursday 9 to 5; Friday 9 to 3
free admission