When does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition starts on 29.08.2026 at 11:00 AM and runs until 15.11.2026.

Where can the exhibition be seen?

At the Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst - Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, Uferstraße/Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus.

How much is the entrance fee?

The regular admission is 4 Euros, reduced 3 Euros. Special prices apply for combi-tickets.

Are there tours or mediation offers?

Yes, BLMK offers accompanying tours and art mediation formats for the exhibition. Further dates will be published in the museum's program.

Is the museum barrier-free?

Yes, the exhibition spaces, the event hall, and the mukk. are accessible via elevators.

What are the opening hours?

The Diesel Power Plant Cottbus is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 AM to 7 PM.

Photography, Freedom, and GDR Art: An Exhibition that Thinks Boundaries Anew

Name: Unbraked Self-Movements – Art with Photography in the GDR
Start: 2026-08-29T13:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-11-15T20:00:00+01:00
Location: Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst - Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Photography as a Starting Point: Seeing the GDR Anew

In the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, a rare artistic experience opens with Unbraked Self-Movements. Art with Photography in the GDR, showcasing photographic works from the late GDR in their subcultural, experimental, and performative contexts. The exhibition focuses on a visual practice that did not settle for mere representation and documentation, but understood idea, body, space, and action as aesthetic experiences.

A Look at Another Photography of the GDR

The exhibition is based on the photographic collection of BLMK, which is considered the only museum collection for photography established in the GDR. Works and loans from artists such as Claus Bach, Tina Bara, Micha Brendel, Kurt Buchwald, Thomas Florschuetz, Cornelia Schleime, Erasmus Schröter, or Gabriele Stötzer are on display. It highlights photographic positions that emerged in the 1980s from the tension between artistic freedom, boundaries transgression, and self-expansion.

Between Performance, Intervention, and Image Concept

Particularly impressive is the proximity of these works to action, performance, and intervention. The exhibition makes it tangible how photography in the GDR not only captured moments but also triggered thought movements. Series, experimental image arrangements, and consciously anti-aesthetic impulses open the view to an art history that has long stood on the fringe of public consciousness and is curated here with great precision.

The Diesel Power Plant as a Resonance Space

The location enhances the impact of the presentation. The former diesel power plant, with its industrial architecture, creates a dense exhibition atmosphere where modern art, photography, and memory intersect. Light, space, and materiality transform the viewing of works into a bodily experience rather than an abstract one. Thus, a museum visit is created that not only explains art history but also makes it sensually experienceable.

Art Mediation and In-Depth Access

The accompanying program includes tours and mediation formats from the house. BLMK is known for its art mediation, collection proximity, and museum educational offerings; barrier-free access is also available in the Diesel Power Plant. Those interested in GDR art, photography history, curation, and cultural education will find here an exhibition with high professional density and great value for insight.

Conclusion: Unbraked Self-Movements promises a concentrated look at a distinctive image culture of the GDR that continues to surprise, irritate, and excite today. This exhibition deserves an onsite visit because it re-experiences photography as artistic freedom, as memory, and as an open question.