When can the exhibition be visited?

The scheduled event date is Friday, November 6, 2026, at 11 AM. The exhibition can be seen from August 29 to November 15, 2026.

Where does the exhibition take place?

The exhibition takes place at the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus.

How much does admission cost?

The researched admission price is 4 Euros.

What art forms does the exhibition showcase?

Experimental photography, performance, action, body art, installation, montage, and serial image sequences from the realm of art with photography in the GDR are shown.

Who developed the exhibition concept?

The exhibition concept was developed by Christoph Tannert as an external curator.

How long is the exhibition on display?

The exhibition runs from August 29 to November 15, 2026.

Unbraked Self-Movements: How GDR Photography Opens Spaces of Freedom

Name: Unbraked Self-Movements. Art with Photography in the GDR
Start: 2026-11-06T11:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-11-15T19:00:00+01:00
Location: Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für Moderne Kunst – Dieselkraftwerk Cottbus

Photography as a Space of Freedom at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus

The exhibition Unbraked Self-Movements. Art with Photography in the GDR is dedicated to an experimental visual practice of the 1980s. The focus is on artists who did not understand photography as a neutral documentation but as material for liberation, self-expansion, and artistic transgression.

A Different Photography of the GDR

In the tightly regulated society of the GDR, a distinct, subculturally shaped art movement developed. Photography detached itself from the journalistic-documentary understanding of images and became an open field for subjective perspectives, poetic estrangement, and new realities.

Between Performance, Installation, and Body Art

The works on display connect photographic techniques with performance, action, body art, installation, and serial image sequences. Staging, montage, and estrangement expand the classical image space. The photographic image appears as a performative action space in which body, space, action, and social reality come into motion with each other.

Artistic Positions of an Underestimated Avant-Garde

The exhibition presents works by Tina Bara, Claus Bach, Micha Brendel, Kurt Buchwald, Thomas Florschuetz, Else Gabriel, Klaus Hähner-Springmühl, Matthias Leupold, Cornelia Schleime, Erasmus Schröter, and Gabriele Stötzer, among others. Their different image strategies make visible how diverse art with photography developed in the late GDR.

Curatorial Perspective on East German Art History

The exhibition concept comes from Christoph Tannert. As an art historian, exhibition maker, and author, he has been engaging for decades with independent artistic positions, photography, and the art scene of the GDR. The curation places the works between experimental photography, conceptual art, performance, and subcultural visual practice.

Aesthetic Experience at the Diesel Power Plant

The industrial architecture of the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus forms an impressive resonance space for the exhibition. Visible materials, clear spatial axes, and focused museum lighting enter into a tense dialogue with photographic image surfaces and serial arrangements. During the viewing of the works, an intense exhibition atmosphere arises, opening questions about freedom, body, perception, and artistic autonomy.

Conclusion: An Art Experience Between Image and Movement

Visitors can expect an art-historically relevant and sensually tangible chapter of East German modernism. Unbraked Self-Movements demonstrates how photography could create a space of self-assertion and freedom. Those wishing to discover GDR art, experimental photography, and cross-media art practice will experience an inspiring aesthetic adventure at the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus. A visit enriches the perspective on art history and makes the resistant power of these visual worlds immediately perceptible.