Hans Haacke
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of DER BEV脰LKERUNG (To the Population), documents and archival materials on the genesis and reception of Hans Haacke鈥檚 once controversially discussed art project will be displayed at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein鈥榮 Showroom. The artist designed this participatory project in 1998 at the invitation of the German Bundestag for the northern atrium of the Reichstag building. After a fierce debate in the Bundestag, his proposal was accepted by a narrow majority in a roll-call vote; the work was inaugurated on September 12, 2000. Haacke drew inspiration for his work from Bertolt Brecht鈥檚 essay Five Difficulties in Writing the Truth (1934). His dedication DER BEV脰LKERUNG (To the Population) is a direct reference to the inscription 鈥淒EM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE鈥� (To the German People), which was mounted on the gable of the west portal of the Reichstag building in 1916. Using the same typeface as that on the west portal, the dedication DER BEV脰LKERUNG has beamed towards the sky in neon letters from the bottom of a wooden trough for the last 20 years. Upon the artist鈥檚 invitation, more than 400 members of the Bundestag have each scattered a hundredweight of earth from their respective constituencies around the dedication in the trough. A wild, untamed biotope has sprung from the seeds already present in the soil.
Recommended for you
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of DER BEV脰LKERUNG (To the Population), documents and archival materials on the genesis and reception of Hans Haacke鈥檚 once controversially discussed art project will be displayed at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein鈥榮 Showroom. The artist designed this participatory project in 1998 at the invitation of the German Bundestag for the northern atrium of the Reichstag building. After a fierce debate in the Bundestag, his proposal was accepted by a narrow majority in a roll-call vote; the work was inaugurated on September 12, 2000. Haacke drew inspiration for his work from Bertolt Brecht鈥檚 essay Five Difficulties in Writing the Truth (1934). His dedication DER BEV脰LKERUNG (To the Population) is a direct reference to the inscription 鈥淒EM DEUTSCHEN VOLKE鈥� (To the German People), which was mounted on the gable of the west portal of the Reichstag building in 1916. Using the same typeface as that on the west portal, the dedication DER BEV脰LKERUNG has beamed towards the sky in neon letters from the bottom of a wooden trough for the last 20 years. Upon the artist鈥檚 invitation, more than 400 members of the Bundestag have each scattered a hundredweight of earth from their respective constituencies around the dedication in the trough. A wild, untamed biotope has sprung from the seeds already present in the soil.
Artists on show
What's on nearby
