When does the exhibition run?

The exhibition begins on August 29, 2026, and runs until November 15, 2026, according to the museum.

What are the opening hours?

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

How much is the admission fee?

The regular admission fee is 4 Euros, reduced 3 Euros. A combination ticket costs 6 Euros, reduced 3 Euros.

Is the museum accessible?

Yes, the exhibition rooms and the event hall are largely accessible via elevators.

Where is the exhibition taking place?

At the Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art - Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus.

Are there educational offers?

The museum offers mediation and tour formats. More precise dates will follow through the house.

Photography, Freedom, and Resistance: An Insightful Exhibition at the Diesel Power Plant

Name: Unrestrained 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

Unrestrained Self-Movements: GDR Photography as Artistic Breakthrough

At the Diesel Power Plant Cottbus, the visual language of late GDR meets an exhibition that understands photography not as mere documentation but as artistic self-assertion. Unrestrained Self-Movements. Art with Photography in the GDR opens on August 29, 2026, at the Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art and shows how, in the 1980s, alternative image spaces, actions, and performances shaped against the constraints of the system. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/ungebremste-selbstbewegungen-kunst-mit-fotografie-in-der-ddr/))

Photography as an Attitude, Not as an Illustration

The exhibition focuses on that artistic practice which consciously distanced itself from state-influenced, documentary photography. It spotlights artists who worked with serial thinking, staged situations, actions, and interventions, thereby developing an independent, often anti-aesthetic visual aesthetic. The result is an art experience between work observation, political zeitgeist, and an intense exhibition atmosphere. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/ungebremste-selbstbewegungen-kunst-mit-fotografie-in-der-ddr/))

Curatorial Clarity and Art Historical Depth

The concept of the exhibition is developed by external curator Christoph Tannert. Works by Claus Bach, Tina Bara, Micha Brendel, Kurt Buchwald, Klaus Elle, Irene Fischer, Thomas Florschuetz, Else Gabriel, Rainer Görß, Klaus Hähner-Springmühl, Erich-Wolfgang Hartzsch, Frank Herrmann, Bernd Hiepe, Wolf Kahlen, Stefan Kayser, York der Knoefel, Matthias Leupold, Lieberknecht/Stoy, Olaf Martens, Maix Mayer, Florian Merkel, Erhard Monden, Christoph Sandig, Cornelia Schleime, Erasmus Schröter, Andreas Seeliger, Heike Stephan, and Gabriele Stötzer will be displayed. Thus, the exhibition spans a precise arc through photo art, performance, and experimental image production. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/ungebremste-selbstbewegungen-kunst-mit-fotografie-in-der-ddr/))

A Museum with Strong Collection and Clear Address

The Brandenburg State Museum for Modern Art at the Diesel Power Plant site is one of the important venues for art from the GDR and East Germany. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 11 AM to 7 PM; all exhibition spaces and the event hall are largely accessible via elevators. The address is Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus. ([blmk.de](https://www.blmk.de/veranstaltungsort/ilb-potsdam/?utm_source=openai))

Education, Tours, and Visitor Experience

BLMK and museum education clearly focus on cultural education: The house offers mediation programs and tours that make art tangible at the original. For this exhibition, the classic combination of historical classification, concentrated image analysis, and an exhibition that reinterprets the relationship between body, space, and photography applies. The visit is suitable for anyone who wants to connect photography history, art of the GDR, and curatorial perspectives in the museum. ([blmk.de](https://www.blmk.de/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/blmk-2quartalsheft-2025-ansicht.pdf?utm_source=openai))

Conclusion

Unrestrained Self-Movements is more than an exhibition about GDR photography: It is a precise, sensually dense art experience about freedom, boundary shift, and the power of the experimental gaze. Anyone wanting to experience photo art in historical depth and in the context of a significant museum collection should definitely visit this exhibition live in Cottbus. ([cottbus.de](https://cottbus.de/veranstaltungen/ungebremste-selbstbewegungen-kunst-mit-fotografie-in-der-ddr/))