" ... now I feel the need to be far away, I am homesick and have an almost insatiable desire for new things." August Macke, 1912
In the spring of 1914, the young Bonn painter August Macke traveled from the Rhineland to Tunisia. His companions were the two artists Paul Klee and Louis Moilliet. This trip to Tunis, which has since become famous, forms the starting point for this exhibition. The journey, which lasted just two weeks, shortly before the start of the First World War, can be seen as a historical example of artistic striving for intercultural exchange. It led to a reorientation of the traveling artists, who created important works of art inspired by their impressions and experiences. At the same time, the historical journey serves as an occasion for reflection on topics such as intercultural exchange, post-colonialism and cultural appropriation, which have become an integral part of current discourses.
Artists of subsequent generations saw historical expeditions such as this one in a different light and critically questioned the predominance of the European perspective and the act of cultural appropriation. In today's globalized art world, it is a prerequisite that artists are aware of their privileged position and the responsibility that comes with it when they travel and seek intercultural encounters. For this reason, the exhibition juxtaposes works related to the Tunis trip not only with artworks of their time, but also with artworks from later decades up to the present day, some of which were developed especially for the exhibition. In this way, the exhibition aims to build a bridge between different historical phases and show the continuing relevance of art as an instrument for exploring identity, history and cultural encounters.
WITH WORKS BY (selection): Yto Barrada, Lothar Baumgarten, Joseph Beuys, Michael Buthe, Manaf Halbouni, Ernst Isselmann, Nadia Kaabi-Linke, August Macke, Gabriele Münter, Louis Moilliet, Heinrich Nauen, Peter Piller, Sigmar Polke, Haleh Redjaian, Ulrike Rosenbach, Hamid Zénati
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