Photo courtesy of Henrike Naumann. Catch Naumann’s Tag X installation at Haus der Statistik Nov 4-7.
East German artist Henrike Naumann’s installation Tag X opens November 4 through November 7 at Haus der Statistik, a speculative work that re-imagines everyday objects as defensive weapons against a right-wing coup. We caught up with her before the show to find out more.
Naumann likes to say she was “born in the GDR” – and she was, five years before the Wall fell, to be exact. Although this darling of the Berlin contemporary art scene retains few conscious memories of the early years, the far-right movement that sprang up in the GDR’s wake has been a constant inspiration for her signature ‘home-installations’. Her 2012 debut piece, Dystopia, recreated the teenage bedrooms of neo-Nazi acolytes, while her new work, Tag X, re-imagines living room furnishings as post-apocalyptic weapons in the wake of a far-right coup. She credits this fascination with domestic settings to the way she experienced the Fall of the Wall. “As a five-year-old, I didn’t understand the politics of it, but through the eyes of a child the aesthetics changed so much – particularly the furniture. I use this to talk about the ways people perform political affiliation in their private homes.” Head to Haus der Statistik for more.
For more 30 years Peaceful Revolution – Fall of the Wall celebrations, check out our 7 days, 7 tips.
