CONTEMPORARY ART ON THE HISTORY AND PRESENT OF RACISM
with works by
PEGGY BUTH TALYA FELDMAN RAJKAMAL KAHLON MARIO PFEIFER MINH DUC PHAM SU-RAN SICHLING
as well as with contributions by
KANAK ATTAK SUSANNE KEICHEL DUC NGO NGOC DAN THY NGUYEN SPOT_THE_SILENCE [RIXXA WENDLAND & CHRISTIAN OBERMULLER] THANH NGUYEN PHUONG & BOUIZEDKANE / JERAT / KONATÉ / REIMANN / WOLFF
How are the historical exhibitions of humans (‘human zoos’) in Europe and the colonial, racializing representation of people in science and in museums related to today’s regimes of gazes, everyday racism and racist violence? In the exhibition “MENSCHENanSCHAUEN” the Stadtmuseum Dresden for the first time presents a critical revision of the historical exhibitions of people that took place in Dresden, as in many European cities, from the 16th century to the early 20th century. One exhibition focus are the human zoos (“Völkerschauen”) in the Dresden Zoological Garden. The exhibition’s research material and objects are assembled in an experimental set up.
The historical display of humans contributed to the consolidation of the hierarchizing power position of white people and disparaging racist gaze relations. Due to racist prejudices and historically established patterns of perception, people of color were not only subjected to physical violence, but also to social, economic or even psychological violence – to this day. As the French Sociologist Colette Guillaumin aptly put it, “Race does not exist. But it does kill people.”
The selected contemporary artistic works and contributions by 18 participating artists and filmmakers in the intervention “Grids of Violence: From Gazes to Acts” deal with today’s racism and racist violence. The background to this are the racializing images and representations of people in past centuries and today’s powerful racist gaze regimes. Through the contemporary viewpoints of the artists and their works, both the perspective of everyday racism contextualized by one’s own biographical experiences as well as a self-critical white investigation of racism can be experienced
A project developed as a collaboration of Kunsthaus Dresden – Städtische Galerie für Gegenwartskunst and Stadtmuseum Dresden
Curated by Christiane Mennicke-Schwarz (Kunsthaus Dresden – Städtische Galerie für Gegenwartskunst) and Su-Ran Sichling (freelance curator and artist, Dresden)
Supported by Kulturstiftung des Freistaates Sachsen
„Grid of Violence. From Gazes to Acts“
11/5 2023 till 7/7 2024
Stadtmuseum Dresden
Wilsdruffer Straße 2
01067 Dresden
www.stadtmuseum-dresden.de
