Unbraked Self-Movements at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus: Photography as Freedom
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Unbraked Self-Movements: Photography as a Space of Freedom
The Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art presents the exhibition Unbraked Self-Movements. Art with Photography in the GDR at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus. On October 20, 2026, a multifaceted view will open on experimental image practices of the 1980s, in which photography became material for self-assertion, self-expansion, and artistic boundary crossing.
A Different Photography of the GDR
In the tightly regulated society of the GDR, artists developed an independent, subculturally influenced art with photography. The exhibition releases the medium from its journalistic-documentary framework and shows it as an open space for thought and action. Staging, alienation, serial arrangement, performance, body art, and installation expand the classical image space.
Image, Body, and Action in Motion
The presented positions connect photographic processes with performative and conceptual strategies. Works by Claus Bach, Tina Bara, Micha Brendel, Kurt Buchwald, Thomas Florschuetz, Else Gabriel, Cornelia Schleime, Gabriele Stötzer, and other artists make visible how photography can design new realities. Privately produced photo books and semi-legal magazines served as important spaces for publication, exchange, and aesthetic self-determination.
Art Historical Classification and Curating
The exhibition concept developed by Christoph Tannert connects holdings from the collection of the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art with loaned works. The curation places the works in the cultural history of the late GDR and highlights a frequently less noted art practice between experimental photography, conceptual art, performance, and subcultural image culture.
The Diesel Power Plant as a Resonance Space
The industrial architecture of the former Diesel Power Plant enhances the impact of the exhibition. Clear spatial axes, visible materials, and concentrated museum lighting create an intense exhibition atmosphere. In the examination of the works, photographic image surfaces, serial structures, and cross-media works come together. The aesthetic experience makes historical constriction as palpable as the desire for freedom, physicality, and artistic autonomy.
Conclusion: An Intense Art Experience in Cottbus
Visitors can expect a professionally informed and sensually compelling exhibition about photography, memory, resistance, and artistic self-determination. Those who want to experience GDR art, experimental photography, installation, and performance from a new perspective should definitely discover Unbraked Self-Movements live at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus.
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- Website: https://www.blmk.de/programm/ungebremste-selbstbewegungen/
