The Nomadic Gene at BLMK Cottbus: Experience film, history, and art
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A movie night about colonial history, memory, and the power of storytelling
With The Nomadic Gene. Detzman Walking, the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art at the Diesel Power Station Cottbus invites you to an intense art experience between film, historical research, and cultural reflection. The screening on May 12, 2026, connects the work of the artist group Mangan25 with an exploration of colonial and postcolonial upheavals in the region of Papua New Guinea.
A subject that extends far beyond the film
At the center is the story of the German colonial officer Hermann Detzner, who hid in the jungle of Papua New Guinea during World War I. The film by Kai-Uwe Kohlschmidt, created in 2020 and shown in the original language with subtitles, combines historical inquiry with a visually powerful, essayistic form. Thus, from a documentary or conversational format arises a multifaceted work about memory culture, attributions, and the ambivalence of colonial legacies.
Mangan25 as an artistic expedition
The artist group Mangan25 understands itself as an interdisciplinary collective that seeks travelable experiential spaces and approaches themes of movement, distance, and self-exposure. Painting, video, photography, text, audio play, and feature intertwine. This is precisely where the strength of this project lies: history does not appear as a rigid chronicle, but as a living, aesthetic experience that reveals questions of power, perceptions of others, and perception.
Conversation, context, and educational depth
The evening will be moderated by Andreas Weigelt, head of the Documentation Center Lager Jamlitz. This embedding adds additional authority and historical precision to the program. The BLMK once again shows how curation works in the best sense: art is not presented in isolation but as an occasion for education, dialogue, and critical engagement with the work. In the museum context, this creates a space in which aesthetic experience and historical knowledge reinforce each other.
A place with a special exhibition atmosphere
The Diesel Power Station Cottbus provides the suitable setting for this. The former industrial building gives the event a concentrated, urban atmosphere where modern art, film, and contemporary history meet. The house is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 am to 7 pm; all exhibition rooms, the event hall, and the mukk. are accessible via elevators.
Conclusion
Anyone interested in contemporary art, colonial memory, political imagery, and the artistic engagement with history will experience an evening of rare density here. The Nomadic Gene. Detzman Walking combines film art, museum education, and cultural education into an event that resonates. A visit to Cottbus is definitely worthwhile.
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- Website: https://www.blmk.de/
