past statements

series:

15 Aug — 30 Nov 22

Urban space Munich

Steinbrener / Dempf & Huber: "Victory Spikes" © Foto: Tobias Hase

A project to deal with monuments that have become questionable because of their sometimes violence-glorifying and excluding visual language.

The single projects

Ein Ort für ein Wort. Ein Wort für einen Ort (Ein Zeitzeichen)

A place for a word. A Word for a Place (A Sign of Time)

Michele Bernardi

15 August to 30 November
Bayerisches Staatsministerium für Wirtschaft
Landesentwicklung und Energie
Prinzregentenstraße 28, 80538 München
> About the project

Maria Luiko, Trauernde, 1938

Maria Luiko, Mourner, 1938

Michaela Melián

19 September to 18 November
Alter Botanischer Garten
Elisenstraße
80333 München
> About the project

Victory Spikes

Steinbrener / Dempf & Huber

21 September to 19 November
Siegestor
80539 München
> About the project

past monument: Herabsetzung als Kunst – eine Analyse

past monument: disparagement as art – an analysis

Department for public appearances

9 September to 10 November
Billboards in urban space
> About the project

#MakeUsVisible x denkFEmale

XRE (Extended Reality Ensemble, New York) and denkFEmale (München)

30 September to 31 October
Urban space Munich
Opening on 30 September at Monacensia in the Hildebrandhaus
> About the project

past statements – present futures

Forum and accompanying program

7 to 9 October
Haus der Kunst
Prinzregentenstraße 1
80538 München
> To the program

Background

Monuments carry messages that are still relevant today, or they sometimes convey content that has long been outdated or is deliberately rejected: They glorify war and violence, celebrate heroes of bygone times, convey prejudices and exclude people. They have become questionable.

With the series “past statements. Denkmäler in der Diskussion” (past statements. Debate on monuments), Munich is picking up on the international and local discussion about monuments worth discussing and stimulating critical, polyphonic and creative debates on the forms and content of remembrance in a diverse and democratic urban society. The program is a cooperation between Public Art Munich and the Institute for Urban History and Remembrance Culture at the Cultural Department.

It includes decentralised events at individual controversial locations, artistic interventions in public spaces and the forum “past statements – present futures” (7 to 9 October 2022), an international event in cooperation with Haus der Kunst.

‘past statements’ at Bayerisches Fernsehen

The BR currently reports on the series ‘past statements’ in its broadcast ‘Runter vom Sockel? On how we deal with debated monuments’ (in german).

Link to the show in the BR Mediathek