IDENTITY NOT PROVEN

The Bundeskunsthalle regularly presents exhibitions of works from the Contemporary Art Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany. The latest iteration shows a selection of some 170 works that were purchased by the expert commission in the most recent five-year period (2017–2021) as well as works that were acquired by an expanded commission with funds from Neustart Kultur (2020–2021). The curatorial team hopes that the mixture of the two sets of acquisitions will not only prove topical and relevant but also offer a representative cross-section of contemporary art, including some very recent works.

The curatorial concept was developed in collaboration with a team of members of the acquisitions commissions. The title of the exhibition, a quotation taken from one of the works, articulates the demands made on the works: diversity, tolerance and the critical analysis of individual or collective identities are criteria that inform the selection. Moreover, the dialogue-based concept of the exhibition addresses themes such as contemporary political and social relevance, postcolonial discourse, posthumanism, constructions of history, urbanity and aesthetics.

The exhibition shines a light on the contemporary relevance of the art collection of the Federal Republic of Germany and illustrates how historical and current developments, collective habits of seeing or questioning the construction of images translate into contemporary art. The selection of works also bears witness to the fact that current forms of artistic practice encompass a wide range of techniques and media – from large-scale installations to drawing, painting and sculpture as well as photography and video works.

An exhibition of the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in cooperation with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM)

Jury of the Acquisitions Commission 2017–2021/curators
Anna-Catharina Gebbers, Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwartskunst Berlin; Ulrike Groos, Kunstmusem Stuttgart; Friedrich Meschede, formerly Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Roland Nachtigäller, Stiftung Insel Hombroich; Rein Wolfs, formerly Bundeskunsthalle

Jury of the Acquisitions Commission Neustart Kultur 2020–21/curators
Frédéric Bußmann, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz; Patrizia Dander, Museum Brandhorst Munich; Nadine Grünewald, Kunstverein für Mecklenburg & Vorpommern in Schwerin; Jule Hillgärtner, Kunstverein Braunschweig; Kristina Scepanski, Westfälischer Kunstverein Münster; Hilke Wagner, Albertinum Dresden; Stefanie Weber, Städtische Galerie im Lenbachhaus und Kunstbau, Munich

Bundeskunsthalle
Director: Eva Kraus
Curator: Susanne Kleine
Press Officer: Sven Bergmann, kommunikation [​at​] bundeskunsthalle.de

30 Years Bundeskunsthalle anniversary party
Saturday, June 4, 10pm
The Finnish light artist Kari Kola will illuminate the night sky above the Bundeskunsthalle with his light sculpture Creative Cones, which will shine far beyond Bonn. In this way, he creates an extraordinary setting for our big anniversary party.

Also on view
The Brain: In Art & Science
Until June 26, 2022

Color as Program
Until August 7, 2022

Simone de Beauvoir and The Second Sex
Until October 16, 2022

Bettina Pousttchi: The Curve
Summer 2022 on the rooftop of the Bundeskunsthalle