„Der Westen musste nicht im Osten ankommen!“ | Die Folgen der Transformation nach 1989/90 für die Kunstwelt

In the organizer's words:

Symposium: The West did not have to arrive in the East! (November 8 and 9, 2024)

At this symposium, contemporary witnesses of the 1990s and younger actors will come together to share their experiences and engage in a productive exchange about continuities and changes. On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Berlin Wall, the conference reflects on how the transformation after 1989/1990 was experienced both individually and collectively.

What has been lost? Where was growing together made productive? What influence do economic structures have? Is there an Eastern art scene today? And if so, what characterizes it? How is the institutional art scene in the East organized? And how visible are curators and artists with an Eastern biography in institutions? Based on these questions, the symposium at the Hamburger Bahnhof, which was located directly on the Berlin Wall during the division of Germany, aims to create networks and formulate concrete wishes and ideas for the future.

The symposium is open to the public and can be attended free of charge without registration. The event will be held in German; simultaneous translation into English will be provided on site.

The symposium is being organized by Till Fellrath, Co-Director Hamburger Bahnhof, Gabriele Knapstein, Deputy Director Hamburger Bahnhof and Sven Beckstette, Research Associate Hamburger Bahnhof with the freelance art historian and journalist Sarah Alberti.

Symposium under the patronage of Carsten Schneider, Minister of State to the Federal Chancellor and Federal Government Commissioner for East Germany in cooperation with the ifa - Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations

Sponsored by the Federal Government Commissioner for East Germany and the Federal Agency for Civic Education