Projections onto the East

Numerous artists are currently exploring the question of how collective ideas about “the East” emerged and what clichés – often rooted in history – are associated with them. Where does “the East” begin, and where does it end? What role does this imaginary construct play as an ideological, aesthetic and cultural counterpoint to the West?
“Projections onto the East” will explore these questions through historical and contemporary artistic works and critically examine the role of art in perpetuating these stereotypes. Consisting of two exhibitions at the Neuer Berliner Kunstverein and the Schinkel Pavillon in Berlin, the project will bring together more than twenty artistic perspectives from autumn 2026.
The exhibitions feature artists from Ukraine, Moldova, Romania and Germany and explore the cultural codes that shape the contemporary perception of Eastern Europe and the image of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in particular. In this context, common clichés about “East Germany” will also be examined more closely: for example, the idea that the post-war history of the GDR was characterised from the outset by a successful break with the Nazi past, or the reference to “anti-fascist internationalism” in the GDR.

Historical Positions and Artistic Research

The Neuer Berliner Kunstverein will showcase twelve new productions and contemporary positions. These include, for example, a film developed with AI by the Ukrainian artist Maksym Khodak, which deals with the myth of the chernozem robbery and critically examines the expansion-driven German war policy during the Nazi era, which is still deeply rooted in the memory of Ukrainians today. The Schinkel Pavilion in Berlin will present the photographic work of Helmar Lerski (1871–1956) in a solo exhibition for the first time since the 1980s, critically situating it in its time. Born to a Polish-Jewish family in Strasbourg, Lerski grew up in Zurich and, after an extended stay in the United States, arrived in the Weimar Republic, where he primarily made a name for himself as a portrait photographer.

Accompanying Events and Publication

A one-day international symposium with the working title “The Cultural East” and supplementary panel discussions will accompany the exhibitions in autumn 2026. Selected content from the art and discourse programme will be documented in a publication.
 

Concept and Curatorial Responsibility

The concept and idea for the overall project “Projections onto the East” was developed by the artists Fabian Bechtle and Leon Kahane. They share overall curatorial responsibility for the project, which emerged from their long-standing engagement with the history of reappraisal in the GDR. A fundamental thesis of the project is that, for decades, there was neither the space nor the language in the GDR to address anti-Semitism and racism.

With: Anca Benera & Arnold Estefán, Pavel Brăila, Marcel Broodthaers, Maksym Khodak, Helmar Lerski, Maria Lisogorskaya, Shlomo Pozner, Xavier Robles de Medina, Maya Schweizer, Mikhail Tolmachev, Jasmin Werner, Anastasiya Yarovenko, a. o.

Curators: Fabian Bechtle, Leon Kahane
Project management: Arkadij Koscheew 
Accompanying curatorial responsibilities for the respective exhibitions: Marius Babias (Neuer Berliner Kunstverein) and Nina Pohl (Schinkel Pavillon)

Venues and Dates

Sep 10, 2026 – Nov 8, 2026 at Neuer Berliner Kunstverein (n.b.k.) and Schinkel Pavillon, Berlin