Typically German? Does that even exist?

The increasing poll ratings of radical right-wing and national conservative parties go hand in hand with a change in language characterized by populism. This is characterized by an exclusionary national pride and the propagation of the preservation of “own” values. But what is that actually supposed to be? Does the “typical German” really exist or is it just a construction?
The Kunstmuseum Heidenheim takes this vague terrain as the occasion for an exhibition in which aspects of the German are explored from the perspective of the visual arts.

When a museum of contemporary art organizes an exhibition entitled “Deutsch!”, it may seem provocative at first. However, the aim of the exhibition is not to be German-bashing or to confirm cliché-laden images. Rather, in the subtext, the exclamation mark should be understood as a question mark and a space for discussion should be created.

To this end, the exhibition brings together works by artists who, each in their own way, deal with the history and motifs associated with Germany or challenge national stereotypes.
The focus of the selection of works is specifically on a material level. Can the history or even the essence of a country be read from concrete objects or materials and their attribution?

Is there anything at all that is “typically German” and, should this be the case, could any conclusions be drawn from this for the audience? An essential part of the presentation will therefore be the mediation, which will invite critical questioning on several levels.

In this way, the art museum will become a reference space in which individual thematic complexes will be highlighted without any claim to completeness. The themes are based on what current artists are dealing with. In this context, two narratives can be identified. One is the play with materials and objects, the other is history as a material.

In summary, it can be said that the exhibition deals with the question of how an object-oriented attribution of value functions and how this correlates with a national narrative. What significance do objects have in the construction of an identity and how easily can this construction be deconstructed?

With works by, among others:
Albrecht/Wilke, Antonia Alessia Virginia Beeskow, Alexander Gdanietz, Andy Heller, Kai Fischer, Bianca Patricia Isensee, Max Kersting, Jens Klein, Jody Korbach, Jaemin Lee, Anna Ley, Maximilian Martinetz, Emanuel Aeneas Megersa & Michael Schlecht, Andreas Mühe, Peter Piller, Klaus Staeck, Nicholas Warburg, Karla Zipfel