In its attempt to explore the art and cultural legacies of the DDR and its international alliances, this meagre, poorly-conceived exhibition offers only a shallow, truncated view of what could do with a deeper, meatier examination.
It begins with a vitrine dedicated to the historic design fair, Intergrafik, before jumping into Japanese photographer Seiichi Furuya’s commemoration of his late wife, who died by suicide. We see a series of somewhat random female-centric photographs taken in the DDR in 1986.
Displayed alongside photography books in the colours of the German flag, it’s a jarring, awkward alignment of national identity with personal loss. Raising questions about authenticity and labour, The Hung The Cao Collection displays American garments (Levis, Wrangler) made by Vietnamese contract workers – one shirt bears a yellow-and-black US Army patch.
The middle of the room is dominated by a video installation by Japanese artist Mio Okido – possibly charming but ultimately tiresome. It’s unfair to say this is a bad show, but then it’s really not worth going to either. Instead, it’s meant to be stumbled upon as you navigate through the Forum’s softly lit yet endlessly problematic Ethnological Collections. ★★★
- ‘Beyond Borders: Artistic Internationalism in the GDR’, through Feb 16, 2025, Humboldt Forum, Schloßpl. 1, Mitte, details.
