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Painting, poetry and new music from March 30 to June 29, 2025
With the large-scale exhibition "Burned In," the Kunsthalle Darmstadt will once again focus on artistic production in the former GDR, opening on March 30, 2025. In cooperation with the Center for New Literature Darmstadt and the International Music Institute Darmstadt (IMD), the exhibition offers a diverse perspective on painting, poetry, and contemporary music – curated by Leon Krempel , Kurt Drawert , and Thomas Schäfer . The opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, March 29, at 7 p.m.
Three arts – one experience
The exhibition title comes from a poem by Kurt Drawert and refers to the lasting impact of the GDR past on art and society. The exhibition brings together works by 20 painters , two sculptors , 40 poets, and compositions from the GDR era. Among those on display are works by Gerhard Richter, AR Penck, Kurt Drawert, Sarah Kirsch, Paul Dessau, Ruth Zechlin, and Steffen Schleiermacher.
A central element of the exhibition is a spatial concept that places image, text, and sound side by side on an equal footing. Visitors experience a continuous "art frieze" of paintings and typographically staged poems – interspersed with ten listening stations featuring sound art from the GDR.
The painting of the GDR – from avant-garde to protest
Alongside well-known names like Gerhard Richter (here with a rare painting from his Dresden period) and AR Penck, the exhibition offers exciting new discoveries. The works address everyday life, landscapes, and still lifes, but also systemic critique, nightmares, and subtle forms of protest. In addition to painting, two sculptors, Joachim Kuhlmann and Peter Makolies,
Poetry beyond censorship
The poems, from three generations of poets, demonstrate the resilience and innovative potential that poetry developed in East Germany. The exhibition emphasizes the importance of poetry as a space for individual truth and linguistic freedom.
New music as a sound experiment
New Music completes the concept: works by Paul Dessau, Friedrich Goldmann, Jakob Ullmann, and others make audible the creative force that existed even in a highly regulated cultural environment. Listening stations invite visitors to immerse themselves in the soundscapes of this era.
Supporting program with lectures, guided tours and music
To accompany the exhibition, the Kunsthalle offers an extensive program including tandem tours, artist talks, and literary and musical evenings. Particularly recommended are the lecture "Art and Literature of the Underground in the GDR" with Ekkehard Maaß on May 8th and the talks with Kurt Drawert and Hubertus Giebe on June 5th.
Further dates, information and background on the exhibition can be found at kunsthalle-darmstadt.de .
