The exhibition “CONTINENT – In search of Europe” explores the present-day Europe in a joint project by the 22 members of the photography collective OSTKREUZ. The photographers focus on various aspects of coexistence in Europe, with topics such as identity and security, renationalisation, migration and integration, democracy, and freedom of opinion. Curator Ingo Taubhorn invited Béton Bleu Magazine for a chat during the European Month of Photography.

Béton Bleu: Mr. Taubhorn, we are at the Akademie der Künste which is a historical place: It’s where Adolf Hitler’s star-architect Albert Speer built the model of the fascist state “Germania”.

Ingo Taubhorn: This is really abstruse to me. While I am speaking to you, the German flag is waving next to the EU flag on the Brandenburg Gate, we are here in 2020 to open "CONTINENT - In Search of Europe" – and no one can really imagine that some decades ago in the 1930s, a whole fascist apparatus worked to destroy the idea of a peaceful, European continent. The exhibition starts in the Max Liebermann Hall, the former workroom of Albert Speer, Hitler's "General Building Inspector for the Reich Capital". Hitler visited this house regularly to check on the model of Germania and discuss its improvement with Speer. So, all the formal-aesthetic considerations and photographic possibilities taken aside: An exhibition like "CONTINENT" still has a socio-political necessity. Especially in Germany with its history.

BB: How was the idea for the exhibition born? For the Akademie der Künste, CONTINENT is the artistic contribution to the EU Council Presidency 2020.

IT: In retrospect, everything seems so harmonious, but a lot of things were simply a nice coincidence. The idea for the project was born in Paris in 2015, shortly before the deadly terror attacks at the Bataclan. Usually the photographers of the agency OSTKREUZ devote themselves to an independent long-term project, often with a reflection on community as the central theme. This reflection is one of the main purposes of the collective since its beginning: OSTKREUZ was founded in 1990 in order to make sure that the narrative of East Germany would not (only) be told by West Germans. From "How does the coexistence between East and West Germany look like?" the question gradually developed to: "What does coexistence in Europe actually look like?”

BB: The 401 photographic works address a variety of topics: Nationalism, democracy, globalization, the concept of belonging. How does the exhibition position itself within the European context?

IT: The term “continent” is derived from the Latin word "continere", which means "to connect" and "to hold together". Europe has always been and always will be a fluid concept, it must be constantly recharged with values and purpose. The question of identity and togetherness cannot be answered conclusively, and certainly not in a single exhibition. This continent is so complex in its variety - and that is ultimately what we love about it.

I think as well that the doubts and struggles with Europe are a big part of the European identity. The work of Jörg Brüggemann shows that in an impressive manner: He portrays demonstrators in different countries, some of them protesting against the EU, some for the EU, some stand up for completely different topics. And yet they are all representatives of Europe. In that sense, “CONTINENT” provides a canvas the visitors can use to find their own relationship to Europe.

BB: What is your personal opinion: What holds Europe together?

IT: For us cultural practitioners, this exhibition is about the question of what constitutes the intellectual, spiritual space of Europe - an intellectual project that began with Voltaire and Hegel. I personally renounce the idea that European cohesion is exclusively associated with economic or technical developments. Why is its existence only justified by economical needs?

BB: What was your curatorial approach?

IT: For me, it soon became clear that the photographers could only show a version of Europe that is shaped by their very own, very personal stories. These individual approaches are time-related and cannot make any claims to completeness. Then again, no exhibition in the world can meet the expectation of covering all current affairs of all 27 EU member states. You have to dare to show a fragment, it’s the only possible truth. There will always be gaps when we speak about Europe, whether it’s thematically, geographically, socially, or culturally. That’s a natural part of Europe.

BB: What role do art and cultural institutions play in the European project?

IT: Culture has always been a unifying element. For example: When I visit a foreign city, let's say Krakow, the first thing I look for are the museums, not the malls or the sport fields. Why? Because culture communicates one’s own identity, internally and externally. Culture shows how a group – a region, a country – sees itself. For me, cultural institutions are the starting point for understanding a place, they show the past and the present. It might sound like a platitude but it’s true: Only those who know the history can understand the present. We move on shaky ground soaked with the blood of history; we have to understand our past better. This is where cultural institutions come into play. Culture has an enormously important role in Europe.

BB: Do you think that national culture is a catalyst for international cooperation?

IT: The big question you are asking is: Does art have the political power to actually influence the present? I personally believe that institutions, but also artists, cannot evade their political responsibility. Even if they distance themselves from political art, they remain a part of their country, its culture, its context. In this sense, “unpolitical” art is also political art. However, when artists do become political, they do not do it for "the country", they do it out of their own conviction. Those don’t necessarily have to be pro-European.

BB: Can you elaborate on this concept of “cultural refinement”?

IT: When a painter paints a picture or a writer writes a novel, they always transport a cultural context. But these artists – hopefully – don’t write, paint or photograph to impose this cultural background on the recipients. They are trying to broaden the horizon of their readers, to refine their approach, and experience. This refinement of everyday experience is what cultural institutions can do. What they’re supposed to do. A world without art and culture would be unimaginable. And I personally think that Europe without art and culture would not be possible.

BB: You have worked with the biggest cultural institutions in Germany. What would be your demands for cultural policy on a European level?

IT: As I said before: We can only perceive Europe through fragments of images and experiences. All these fragments leave an unfinished puzzle nobody can complete. If we reduce the EU to economic or technical aspects, we lose the intellectual sphere that surrounds us. We must therefore invest in cultural spaces. This starts with financing and continues with new formats - for example, making exhibitions like this one travel around Europe. It would be interesting for British visitors to see that we too are intensively engaged with Brexit. The same applies to Polish visitors in Poland. Pictures, exhibitions, cultural products - they can all be understood as a visual invitation to dialogue. Certainly, much of it is done by the Goethe-Institute. But we need a better dialogue in Europe. Fortunately, photography is a universal language.

BB: Mr. Taubhorn, thank you for your time.

Interview: Ana-Marija Cvitic

The exhibition on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the collective is curated by Ingo Taubhorn and takes place as part of the European Month of Photography 2020.

A podcast series accompanies the exhibition.

Supported by the European Fund for Regional Development (ERDF), the Senate Department for Culture and Europe and the Society of Friends of the Academy of Arts

About Ingo Taubhorn:

Ingo Taubhorn has been curator of the Haus der Photographie / Deichtorhallen Hamburg since 2006. As an artist, he has exhibited internationally with groups of works such as "Mensch Mann", "VaterMutterIch", and "Die Kleider meiner Mutter". Since 1988 he has worked as a freelance exhibition organiser for the Museum Folkwang in Essen, for the Pat Hearn Gallery in New York and the Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst (NGBK) in Berlin. He is president of the German Photographic Academy (DFA) and teaches at the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and at the Ostkreuzschule in Berlin.

More informationen: https://www.adk.de/en/programme/?we_objectID=61395

(C) 31/12/2020

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