Dreaming: Annemirl Bauer and Bärbel Bohley – in dialogue with Christian Borchert, Jürgen Graetz, Barbara Klemm and Elske Rosenfeld

A final exhibition in the series 'Publik Machen' bringing together two extraordinary female artists and political activists from the GDR: Annemirl Bauer and Bärbel Bohley, presented alongside works by photographers and artists in dialogue. About As part of the six-part exhibition series "Publik Machen: On the Work and Impact of the Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR" at the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa), the final exhibition brings together two extraordinary female artists and political activists: Annemirl Bauer and Bärbel Bohley. Both openly challenged the repressive GDR system and consequently came into conflict with the state and its institutions. No works by Annemirl Bauer are in the collection of the Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR; Bärbel Bohley is represented by three prints. Neither of the two artists had an exhibition at the Galerie im Turm during their lifetimes. From 1965 onwards, the gallery served as the prominent exhibition space for the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR (VBK). The exhibition "Dreaming" aims to fill this gap at the very place that deliberately excluded these two important artists, drawing on their estates to do so. Annemirl Bauer (1939–1989) became an early and critical voice against the dogmatic art system of the GDR. Her paintings combine figurative realism with expressive immediacy. As a single mother, she lived a precarious life, was monitored by the Stasi, and, after demanding general freedom of travel, was banned from practicing her profession in 1984 by the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR (VBK). This ban was lifted two years later under pressure from fellow artists. Bauer attempted, through numerous letters, to prevent Bärbel Bohley's expulsion from the VBK's painting/graphic arts section leadership in the spring of 1983. Her portraits of Bohley also testify to the mutual support between the two women. Active in various political movements, including Women for Peace, Bärbel Bohley (1945–2010) faced repression as early as the beginning of the 1980s, which was also reflected in her artistic work. In her drawings, prints, and paintings, she focused on the individual, on personal experience and autonomy. This attention to individual realities also shaped her social activism. In 1989, as the political situation in East Germany escalated, the focus of her work shifted from art to politics. As a co-founder of New Forum, she became a key figure in the Peaceful Revolution. Erweitert wird die Ausstellung durch Fotografien von Christian Borchert (1942–2000) und Jürgen Graetz (*1943), die Annemirl Bauer in ihrem persönlichen und künstlerischen Umfeld zeigen. Bärbel Bohley wird auf Barbara Klemms (*1939) ikonischer Aufnahme vom 4. November 1989 zwischen Gregor Gysi und Heiner Müller während der großen Demonstration auf dem Alexanderplatz gezeigt, bei der Bohley zu den Redner:innen gehört. In Bohleys Grafik Manchmal ist Kunst abwesend! für die Mappe Silberblick 3 (1989) wird die Abwesenheit von Kunst inmitten des politischen Umbruchs selbst zur Aussage. Elske Rosenfeld (*1974) greift Bohleys Geste 2023 auf und überführt ihre Schriftarbeit in zwei Bilder, ein Positiv und ein Negativ. Damit verschiebt sie die Botschaft der Künstlerin und politischen Aktivistin Bärbel Bohley und macht ihre Ambivalenz erneut sichtbar. Begleitprogramm: Eröffnung "Träumen: Annemirl Bauer und Bärbel Bohley" mit Susanne Weiß (ifa) und Sandra Teitge, 23. Sep. 26, 18.00–22.00 Uhr Bustour "Annemirl Bauer" in Kooperation mit DAS MINSK mit Amrei Bauer, Elisa R. Linn und Carolin Würfel, 26. Sep. 26, 10.00–18.00 Uhr Workshop "Public Print Movement goes Publik Machen" mit Katharina Marszewski, 9. Okt. 26, 15.00–18.00 Uhr Finissage "Träumen: Annemirl Bauer und Bärbel Bohley" mit Amrei Bauer, Anselm Bohley, Angelika Richter, Elske Rosenfeld, Carolin Würfel u. a., 8. Nov. 26, 14.00–18.00 Uhr Kuration: Sandra Teitge und Susanne Weiß (ifa) Produktion: Carolina Redondo Szenografie: Oeken Schwindling Grafikdesign: Lamm Kirch, Leipzig/Berlin & Magma Studios Karlsruhe Aufsicht: Hassan Elmalik, Daniela Schoepe & Team Mit Unterstützung von Carlotta Gonindard Liebe und Rahel Jung, Leitung der Galerie im Turm Making it public: On the work and impact of the Center for Art Exhibitions of the GDR. An exhibition by the ifa in cooperation with the Wüstenrot Foundation. The exhibition series in Berlin is funded by the Capital Cultural Fund (HKF). Read more Toggle Photography Drawing Painting Prints