“fünf zu eins” (five to one)

Even artists don’t know what the future will bring. While ideas for transformative and liveable futures seem to have faded into the background lately, contemporary art continues to be a sensorium for what futurologists call the “weak signals” of tomorrow. Thanks to its speculative power, art can envision the paths that humans, nature, culture and technology could take that differ from those widely assumed or even feared. 
 

In our third issue we present five positions that highlight such scenarios. The idea of using art for experimentation and challenging current opinions is one that is close to our hearts. Indeed, funding art and culture is a commitment to the future. Supporting change in the cultural scene is not about planning for tomorrow, but rather the day after. At a time when looking ahead has become increasingly challenging, we want to continue supporting the art of envisioning the future.

Many artistic works that are now considered classics were once regarded as outrageous, erroneous or simply incomprehensible. Others were celebrated during their creators' lifetimes. What is certain is that masterpieces do not arise in a vacuum, but through discourse and institutional decisions: who determines what remains—and what has yet to be seen?

The second issue of our publication “fünf zu eins” deals with the concept of the masterpiece. We asked author Florian Illies, artist Eric Meier, turntable artist Mariam Rezaei, actress Zora Schemm and curator Juliane Schickedanz to share their perspectives.