Name: Made Men. Bodies, Gesture, Habitus of Masculine Imagery
Start: 2026-02-28T12:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-05-17T21:00:00+02:00
Location: Dieselkraftwerk

How Images of Men are Created: The Exhibition Made Men at BLMK Cottbus

At the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art in the Diesel Power Station Cottbus, an exhibition opens that sharpens the view of masculinity, irritates, and delves into history. Made Men. Bodies, Gesture, Habitus of Masculine Imagery shows how role models have formed, hardened, and finally dissolved in painting, drawing, graphics, and poster art since the Weimar era.

Between Body Image and Ideology

The exhibition interprets the male body not as a fixed entity but as a culturally produced image. Works from the BLMK collection illustrate how gestures, poses, and the direction of gaze shape political and social concepts of masculinity. Particularly striking is the range between combative worker images from the early GDR and later ironic or fragile visual solutions.

An Artistic Experience with Art Historical Depth

The curation links art historical development with social analysis. Reference points like Pierre Bourdieu add additional sharpness to the interpretation of the works without diminishing the sensory access. In the spaces of the Diesel Power Station, an exhibition atmosphere unfolds where color, line, and body postures become readable as an aesthetic experience. Norbert Bisky's hedonistic imagery, Max Uhlig's fragile silhouettes, and other positions open a multi-voiced panorama of masculine imagery.

Collection, Space, and the Social Question

The BLMK demonstrates the strength of its collection in painting, graphics, drawing, and poster art with this presentation. The exhibition makes visible how art not only depicts but also questions societal patterns. Herein lies its educational value: it connects cultural education with a precise view of historical contexts, image politics, and the question of how gender images were negotiated in modernity.

For Art Enthusiasts and the Curious

Those who understand contemporary and modern art as a space for thought will find here an exhibition of high relevance. It is aimed at visitors interested in art history, social analysis, and the power of images. A visit is worthwhile for anyone who wants to see how cultural narratives emerge from bodies, gestures, and habitus.

Conclusion: Made Men is a clever, sensually rich, and art historically well-founded exhibition that sustainably alters the view of masculinity. An intense art experience awaits you at the Diesel Power Station Cottbus, combining collection, discourse, and aesthetic experience. A must-see live.