In autumn 2019, Camberwell Space in London presented Bauhaus: Utopia in Crisis to mark the 100th anniversary of the Bauhaus. The exhibition took a contemporary look at the legacy of the Bauhaus founded in Weimar in 1919, its successes, its failures and its worldwide artistic and social influences, which are as ambivalent as the art academy itself. The exhibition, which was accompanied by a symposium lasting several days, explored how the selected artists were attracted to and influenced by the social, utopian and transgressive aspects of Bauhaus history, how they interpreted and reshaped them, and how artistic legacies intersect with contemporary concerns. The artworks, which ranged from painting to video to archival material, illustrated a differentiated engagement with the history of the Bauhaus as well as its influence, reception and representation to this day.
n 2021, the project returned to its place of origin, the Bauhaus University Weimar, in a modified form. For this purpose, NOVA art space has invited all participating artists to create a contribution in A3 format that relates to the artworks presented in London. The limited editions and unique pieces will be produced in small numbers with the involvement of the workshops in Weimar and, after their presentation on the main campus of the Bauhaus University, will be donated to selected archives.
The compilation of the portfolio represents 12 contemporary, international and multi-layered perspectives on the Bauhaus theme, which will be presented to all members of the university as well as the public in the form of an exhibition in one of the large characteristic window fronts in the courtyard of the Van de Velde building on the Weimar campus. The exhibition will be accompanied by a large-format projection on the facade of the university library in Steubenstraße, which combines video works with documentation of individual artworks and statements by the artists.
With Utopia in Crisis, NOVA art space asks for a view from the outside and looks at Weimar and its Bauhaus history not only from different artistic perspectives, but also through the eyes of the British university, which has approached the topic in its very own way in 2019. At the same time, NOVA is testing the format of the travelling portfolio exhibition, thus addressing issues of accessibility, visibility and international collaboration at a time when all of these seem to be impeded.
Artists:
Juan Bolivar, Liam Gillick, Hopscotch Reading Room, Andrea Medjesi-Jones, Ad Minoliti, Sadie Murdoch, Judith Raum, Helen Robertson, Eva Sajovic, Schroeter + Berger, Alexis Teplin, Ian Whittlesea
Curators:
Daniel Sturgis (London), Katharina Wendler (Weimar)
