unvereint / vereint (23.10.–20.11.2025)

The artistic contributions deal with the cultural heritage in the public space around the Marx head and the inscription behind it (Hendrik Heinicke), with reflections on female body images between state repression and personal liberation in the GDR (Jule Würfel), and with East German modernism and questions of mobility at the central bus station (Samuel Ellinghoven, Eszter Szöke). At the same time, they address the search for identity of a post-reunification generation growing up in a globalized world of political extremes and a new wave of Ostalgie (Merlin Rainer), shed light on questions relevant both in GDR times and today about borders, their impact on people, and the need for freedom (Hana Hazem Arabi, Dayoung Jung) – and examine the iconography of political power and its gestures (Emanuel Aeneas Megersa, Michael Schlecht). They envision utopian and speculative futures for a post-socialist, livable city (Asya Volodina, Lukas Reiber) and address the defense of democratic values through forms of public protest and practices of social cohesion (Hendrik Heinicke, Li Huhn).

The exhibition in Chemnitz is the continuation of a project by the HGB that was first presented at the Leipzig Festival of Lights in 2024 in memory of the Peaceful Revolution. Some of the works created for Chemnitz are new and site-specific, while others have been adapted to the specific context and expand on their references to the themes addressed locally. Students from the departments of book art/graphic design, photography, painting/graphics, and media art are participating in the project, which is led by Sven Bergelt, Juliane Jaschnow, and Dieter Daniels.

The accompanying program of events is being organized primarily by researchers from the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Chemnitz University of Technology. Lectures, talks, and a film program are designed to promote dialogue between artists, researchers, and the Chemnitz public. The program also includes a special event by the “Literary Quintet” of Chemnitz University of Technology.