Triumphs and Laments

The South African artist William Kentridge, the son of Lithuanian Jewish emigrés, draws his subject matter from his personal experience in the diaspora and his knowledge about the destructive effects of racism and anti-Semitism. In cooperation with the Dresden State Art Collections, he now highlights the experiences of several generations in eastern Germany. Starting in September 2025, the exhibition-based festival “Triumphs and Lamentations” will examine identity, traditions and communal responsibility in a city, characterised by social polarisation driven by antidemocratic forces.

The Copperplate Cabinet in the Residential Palace presents Kentridge’s graphic prints as a medium for image politics and debate culture. In the Albertinum, the “Fürstenzug” (Procession of Princes) cartoon from the Copperplate Cabinet collection will be presented alongside the never-before-seen monumental multichannel projection “More Sweetly Play the Dance”. This is also the first time that artists from the Johannesburg-based “Centre for the Less Good Idea”, founded by Kentridge and Bronwyn Lace, will participate in a German exhibition context. Together they will examine the Puppet Theatre Collection and explore how one might artistically (re-)activate the puppets. Their focus will be on the figure of death and the significance of the Black figure in puppet theatre. The Museum Folkwang in Essen is staging a partner exhibition of the same name featuring a comprehensive overview of William Kentridge’s works. However, the partner project is not part of the funding package provided by the German Federal Cultural Foundation.

Artistic direction: Kathi Loch and Bronwyn Lace
Artists: William Kentridge, Xolisile Bongwana, Anathi Conjwa, Tony Miyambo, Sabine Theunissen, Thulisile Binda, Thulani Chauke, Micca Manganye

Festival: Albertinum / Residential Palace (Copperplate Cabinet), Dresden: 6 Sep. 2025 – 11 Jan. 2026
Festival: Puppentheatersammlung (Puppet Theatre Collection) at Kraftwerk Mitte, Dresden: 6 Sep. 2025 – 26 Jul. 2026