Nation, Narration, Narcosis

What history and stories do Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Germany share and how are they reflected in art, collections and archives? The four curators of this transnational research and exhibition project examine the ties between the collection histories and political legacies of the four countries from the 19th century to the present. Against the backdrop of their respective holdings, curators at the Galeri Nasional in Jakarta, the MAIIAM Contemporary Art Museum in Chiang Mai, the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart in Berlin and the Singapore Art Museum and the Singapore National Gallery are developing individual exhibitions, all of which comprise a four-part exhibition series. Societal upheavals, geopolitical events and processes of cultural appropriation, the interweaving strands of national histories and their embodiment in individual biographies are as central to the project as the concept of “re-forgetting” one’s national history and creating new solidarity beyond national borders.

The exhibition in Berlin takes a postcolonial perspective, examining how the political protests and social developments in Europe and Asia are reflected in video art and the performing arts. Based on Joseph Beuys’ “EURASIA” cycle and his concept of “Social Sculptures”, the exhibition will present works and documents from the collections of the Stiftung Preussischer Kulturbesitz together with loans from the cooperating museums in Chiang Mai, Jakarta and Singapore.

This project is a follow-up project to the exhibition “Hello World – Revising a Collection” which was funded by the “Global Museum” programme. Its aim is to sustainably strengthen curatorial exchange and continue the critical examination of established narratives in collection holdings. The project was initiated by the Goethe-Institut.

Artistic director: Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Grace Samboh, Gridthiya Gaweewong, June Yap

Artists: Marina Abramović, Joseph Beuys, Öyvind Fahlström, Amanda Heng, Willem de Rooij, Tita Salina, Christoph Schlingensief, Melati Suryodarmo, Kawita Vatanajyankur, Apichatpong Weerasethakul and others