PRESSKIT Homosexuality_ies - Deutsches Historisches Museum

PRESSKIT
Homosexuality_ies
26 June to 1 December 2015
An exhibition presented by the Deutsches Historisches Museum and the
Schwules Museum*, jointly funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the
Kulturstiftung der Länder
Homosexuality_ies
26 June to 1 December 2015
An exhibition presented by the Deutsches Historisches Museum and the Schwules
Museum*, jointly funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the Kulturstiftung
der Länder
With the collaborative exhibition “Homosexuality_ies”, the Deutsches Historisches
Museum and the Schwules Museum* present the first comprehensive show on the
history, politics and culture of homosexuality_ies of the past 150 years. Covering a
total area of 1600 square meters, the show deals with society's handling of
homosexuality in light of social, juridical and scientific repression, following the
gradual process of emancipation from the late 18th century into the present.
Featuring an abundance of historical and contemporary exhibits – documents,
paintings, drawings, photographs, videos, posters and selected works by Andy
Warhol, Jeanne Mammen, Louise Bourgeois, Lee Lozano, Tamara de Lempicka
and others, this double exhibition sheds light on the complexity of gender
identities within a historical context as much as within current debates surrounding
alternative approaches to life. Given the ongoing, worldwide discourse on equal
rights for homosexuals and transgender people, both institutions view this
exhibition as an opportunity to position a socially and politically current topic in the
middle of society.
This project has been jointly funded by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the
Kulturstiftung der Länder.
Topic: The History and Culture of Homosexual Identities
Until now, the history and culture of homosexual people have been conferred to
the shadows of public memory. “Homosexuality_ies” presents an impressive
spectrum of materials, formats and media that offer a broad public a multi-faceted
insights into its subject matter. The exhibition acknowledges the cultural-historical
achievement of homosexual emancipation, which has transformed society's
understanding of gender identity, sharpened awareness for the limitations of
traditional gender codes and demanded recognition for the diversity of alternative
models of living.
The show traces the history of homosexuality_ies in ten chapters, concluding with
the present. It exposes how same-sex sexuality and non-conformist gender
identities have been criminalized through legislation, pathologized in medicine
and excluded from society. Exhibits include a copy of the first secular criminal
provisions effective for the entire German territory, the “Constitutio Criminalis
Carolina” from the mid-16th century, a document which punishes sexual acts
“against nature” between women and men alike with “death by fire”. Prominent
individuals like Oscar Wilde, Philipp Graf zu Eulenburg and Alan Turing serve as
cases in point that describe the persecution of homosexuals by society church and
state. Legislative developments with respect to the infamous Paragraph 175 of the
German penal code, which made “homosexual acts” punishable by law from 1872
to 1994, and the subsequent gradual progress towards equal rights are visualized
for visitors. Paragraph 175 initially took effect in Imperial Germany, underwent
massive harshening in the Nazi era and was definitively voided after reunification,
in 1994.
Additionally, a handwritten letter by the author Karl Maria Kertbeny from 1868 will
be on view. In that letter, the terms homosexual and heterosexual were used for the
first time. Since science began concerning itself with sexuality, homosexuality
marked a divergence from the “normal”. In light of that, the exhibition illustrates
efforts to diagnose and “cure” sexual and gender “deviations” in medicine and
psychology. As a counterpoint, the show also presents the models researchers like
Karl Heinrich Ulrichs, Magnus Hirschfeld and Judith Butler developed in attempts
to establish understanding for sexual and gender diversity.
A core section of the exhibition containing a vast wealth of materials focuses on
the lesbian, gay and transgender liberation movements, particularly after the legal
liberalization that began in the 1960s. Exhibits include flyers, press materials,
posters, photographs, videos and objects – such as a preserved original
educational brochure from 1901 by the very first homosexual civil rights
association, the “Scientific-Humanitarian Committee”. The script from “Coming
Out” (1989), the first and last official film on homosexuality in East Germany, and
footage of the “Muff Mobile” at Christopher Street Day 1998 in Berlin are also on
display.
“Homosexuality_ies” undercuts the usual perception that equates homosexuals
with gay men. It puts much more emphasis on the vital roles played by lesbian
activists and other gender identities. “While the public discussion is more or less
directed at male and female homosexuality, the world many people live in is much
more complex than that: The internationally used abbreviation LGBTIQ (lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer) stands for a diversity of ways of living
and breaks with a gender code founded on the categories man and woman,” says
Dr. Birgit Bosold, project director for the exhibition and member of the board at
the Schwules Museum*.
In closing, “Homosexuality_ies” picks up threads of contemporary debate and
raises questions as to the future of gender codes and sexualities. It shows how new
coalitions of trans*, inter* and queer-feminist protagonists are propelling the
recognition of sexual and gender diversity in society right now. Aside from
historical developments, the exhibition displays a wide range of subjective
experiences: One chapter is dedicated to very personal “Coming Out” stories.
Another highlights the cross-over from the personal to the political, where codes in
clothes, style and manner are exhibited, which transformed over time from signs
used to identify oneself to like-minded fellows into offensive tactical
manifestations in public.
The section of the exhibition on view at the Schwules Museum* addresses the
current situation and the future of diverse gender identities. A selection of works
by contemporary international artists comment on the relationships between
sexuality, gender, body, between the conventions of society and transgressions of
those conventions. Works are by artists such as Monica Bonvicini, Mary Coble,
Elmgreen & Dragset, Goodyn Green, Katarzyna Kozyra, Henrik Olesen, Julian
Rosenfeldt, Sturtevant, Sam Taylor-Johnson and Andy Warhol. Additionally, the
interview project “What's Next?” presents activists from the queer scene speaking
on topics including political commitment, solidarity and conflicts, work and life
beyond the heterosexual norm.
The majority of the exhibits originate from private movement archives that were
founded at the initiative of activists, such as the lesbian archive Spinnboden, the
feminist archives FFBIZ and Grauzone and the Archive at the Schwules Museum*.
In that respect, this show funded substantially by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes
and the Kulturstiftung der Länder raises a fundamental question regarding how
the topic of “Homosexuality_ies” can be represented and presented properly in
museums and archives.
Design: New Perspectives and Standpoints
The visual concept for the exhibition is founded in the heterogeneity of single
rooms: From video installations with statements from individuals who
communicate subjective positions, to a salon-style room where the collection of
homosexual imagery compiled by Andreas Sternweiler is presented in a majestic
Petersburg hanging, and on to grid wall panels reminiscent of a museum
depository where a variety of forms of action and organization, debates and
aesthetics of political activism are spotlighted – every space constitutes a
complete unit in and of itself. In this way, the design enables visitors to constantly
adopt new perspectives and cultivates an openness for the diversity and
complexity of gender identities beyond the 'heterosexual matrix'. “The exhibition
consciously dispenses with chronology and creates a new kind of approach in every
room,” explains Detlef Weitz, the co-curator responsible for the visual concept.
Featuring imagery from a work by the Canadian performance artist Heather
Cassils, the exhibition poster already plays with ambiguities and reflects the title,
which typographically alludes to the plurality of gender and sexual identities with
the underscore – also called the “gender gap” in German, since it is used in written
language to avoid restrictive, gendered plural endings. The poster image quotes a
familiar aesthetics of advertising and presents a body that, upon closer inspection,
conforms in no way to the bodily ideals of advertising and thus undermines every
norm.
Goals: Positioning the Topic in the Center of Society
“In the exhibition 'Homosexuality_ies', the Deutsches Historisches Museum is
grappling with this important discourse for the first time in its nearly 30-year
history. We understand this equally demanding and challenging project as an
offering directed at a broad, increasingly international public to deepen their
exploration and discussion of the thematics sketched out here,” states Prof. Dr.
Alexander Koch, President of the Deutsches Historisches Museum.
The goal of the project is to create awareness for the diversity of sexual lifestyles
and concepts of gender, and to awaken both tolerance and understanding. In that
respect, the show addresses all people: The topic concerning the complexity of
gender identities pertains to society as a whole, and this exhibition is a means to
position it in the center of society. Historically contextualizing the topic offers
visitors multiple chances to adopt new perspectives through which to view and
discuss matters in new ways. Special tours and history workshops for school
groups and teens are designed to facilitate early access to the topic.
Cooperation: Combined Power and Expertise
In their first-time cooperation, both institutions have tread new ground: Although
the partnership between the German national history museum, which was
founded in 1987, and the Schwules Museum*, which was brought into being as a
private association in 1985, might seem unusual at first glance, it desires to pave
the way for new forms of collaboration and contribute to social discussion
surrounding the subject matter at hand with the combined power and expertise of
both museums. Last but not least, an alliance such as this represents the
overcoming of differences in favor of togetherness.
Facts and Dates
Locations
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Unter den Linden 2 | 10117 Berlin
Schwules Museum*
Lützowstraße 73 | 10785 Berlin
Duration
26.06.–01.12.2015
26.06.–01.12.2015
Opening Hours
daily, 10 am – 6 pm
Sun, Mon, Wed, Fri 2–6 pm,
Thu 2–8 pm, Sat 2–7 pm
Admission
Free up to 18 years
day ticket 8 €, concession 4 €
Free up to 18 years
day ticket 7,50 €, concession 4 €
2 € rebate with rebate coupon
from the Schwules Museum*
2 € rebate with rebate coupon from
the Deutsches Historisches Museum
Information
Tel. +49 30 20304-444
info@dhm.de
www.dhm.de
Tel. +49 30 695990-50
kontakt@schwulesmuseum.de
www.schwulesmuseum.de
Exhibition Area
ca. 1.100 square meters
exhibition halls on the 1st and
2nd floors above ground
722 square meters
Exhibition size
ca. 715 items from 93 lenders,
20 supplementary media and
audio stations
ca. 30 artistic positions, 10 supplementary media and audio stations
General Direction
Dr. Birgit Bosold, Prof. Dr. Alexander Koch
Idea and Initiative
Schwules Museum*, Berlin
Funders
Jointly financed by the Kulturstiftung des Bundes and the
Kulturstiftung der Länder
Exhibition Concept
and ScholarlyCuratorial Team
Dr. Birgit Bosold, Dr. Dorothée Brill, Detlef Weitz,
with Dr. Sarah Bornhorst and Noemi Molitor
Curator
Remembrance Space
“The Pink Triangle”
Klaus Mueller
Contributing
Researchers
Kathrin Allmann, Dr. Sarah Bornhorst, Cosima Götz, Sarah Kersten,
Noemi Molitor, Kristine Schmidt, Eylem Sengezer, Jürgen Willinghöfer
Project Management
Exponatus I Büro für Ausstellungsmanagement
Dr. Thomas Köstlin, Peter Boragno
Scenography and
Exhibition Graphics
Chezweitz GmbH, Berlin / Detlef Weitz, Dr. Sonja Beeck
Publication
HOMOSEXUALITÄT_EN
Edited by Birgit Bosold, Dorothée Brill and Detlef Weitz commissioned by
Schwules Museums* and Deutsches Historisches Museum
220 pages, about 400 images., ISBN 978-3-95498-163-2
with english translations, ISBN 978-3-95498-163-4
25 €
Scholarly Advisory
Board
Dr. Antke Engel (Institut fur Queer Theory, Berlin), Prof. Dr. Andreas Kraß
(Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin), Prof. Dr. Martin Lücke (Freie Universität
zu Berlin), Prof. Dr. Susanne Popp (Universität Augsburg), Prof. Dr. Jutta
Scherer (EHESS Paris), Prof. Dr. Michael Schwartz (Institut für
Zeitgeschichte, München-Berlin)
Media Partners
rbb Fernsehen
rbb Kulturradio
Siegessäule
L.MAG
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Deutsches Historisches Museum
Schwules Museum*
Abteilungsleiterin Kommunikation
Barbara Wolf
Tel. +49 30 20304-110
wolf@dhm.de
Medien- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Sonja Trautmann
Tel. +49 30 20304-411
presse@dhm.de
Presse- und Öffentlichkeitsarbeit
Caroline Ausserer
Tel. +49 30 695990-52
presse@schwulesmuseum.de
Press Images
Homosexuality_ies
26 June to 1 December 2015
1
Advertisement: Homage to Benglis, part of the larger body
of work CUTS: A Traditional Sculpture, 2011
A six month durational performance
Image courtesy of Heather Cassils and Ronald Feldman
Fine Arts
© Heather Cassils and Robin Black 2011
3
2
Book cover: Kurt Hiller, § 175: The Shame of the Century,
1922
Paul Steegmann Verlag, Hannover
Pamphlet for the repeal of § 175 and, accordingly, for the decriminalization of homosexual men
© Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
4
Kurt at the Mirror, Paper Cut-Out 2013, Stefan Thiel
Images courtesy semjon contemporary, Berlin,
Photograph: Lukas Heibges
© Stefan Thiel
Poster for “Civil Registry Office Campaign”, 1992
Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
© LSVD-Bundesverband
Download press images: www.dhm.de/presse/homosexualitaet-en
Press images are provided for exclusive use in current reporting in the context of the exhibition named above, and on the condition that
image credits are cited in their entirety, as listed here.
5
Konvulsator III, 1951
Electroshock device by the Siemens corporation used for
aversion therapy
Photograph: Marco Sedelmayer
© Württembergisches Psychiatriemuseum Zwiefalten
7
6
Walpurgis in Berlin, 1983
Photograph: Petra Gall
© Schwules Museum*, Berlin, Collection Petra Gall
8
Muffs in Motion – Christopher Street Day Berlin, 1998
Photograph and © Kristina Strauß
Tanja Ostojić and Marina Gržinić, Politics of Queer Curatorial
Positions: After Rosa von Praunheim, Fassbinder and Bridge
Markland, 2003
Color photograph, 100 x 100 cm
Photograph: Jane Štravs
© Tanja Ostojić and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Download press images: www.dhm.de/presse/homosexualitaet-en
Press images are provided for exclusive use in current reporting in the context of the exhibition named above, and on the condition that
image credits are cited in their entirety, as listed here.
9
10
Calling card, 1895
Addressed to the writer Oscar Wilde, with the inscription “To
Oscar Wilde posing somdomite (sic!)”, Exhibit A in the libel trial
against John Sholto Douglas, 9th Marquis of Queensberry
© The National Archives, London (UK CRIM 1/41/6 f. 1)
Press photograph from the trial against Philipp Fürst zu
Eulenburg und Hertefeld, 1908
© Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
11
12
Self-Portrait with Cat, painting, 1923
Lotte Laserstein (1898-1993)
New Walk Museum & Art Gallery, Leicester, UK
Photograph: Leicester Arts & Museums / Bridgeman Images
© VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn
Portrait Claire Waldoff, painting, ca. 1930
Emil Orlik
© Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin
Download press images: www.dhm.de/presse/homosexualitaet-en
Press images are provided for exclusive use in current reporting in the context of the exhibition named above, and on the condition that
image credits are cited in their entirety, as listed here.
13
14
Chart: labeling for “protective custody inmates” at
concentration camps, facsimile
© ITS Bad Arolsen
Poster “Disarm Rapists”, 1974
Frauenzentrum Berlin (Berlin Women‘s Center)
© Archiv FFBIZ, Berlin
15
16
Goodyn Green: from the series Women, 2011-2012
C-print (digital), 30 x 30 cm
© Goodyn Green
Goodyn Green: from the series Women, 2011-2012
C-print (digital), 30 x 30 cm
© Goodyn Green
Download press images: www.dhm.de/presse/homosexualitaet-en
Press images are provided for exclusive use in current reporting in the context of the exhibition named above, and on the condition that
image credits are cited in their entirety, as listed here.
17
Pentecost demonstration Berlin, 1973
Photograph: Rüdiger Trautsch
© Schwules Museum*, Berlin (permanent loan by the photographer)
18
Phallometer, 2002
Mixed media/installation
© Ins A Kromminga
19
20
Door with glory hole from a Berlin “tearoom”
(where gay men meet for anonymous sex)
© Schwules Museum*, Berlin
Anonymous: Soldier Friendship, ca. 1913
Sepia photograph
© Schwules Museum*, Berlin
Download press images: www.dhm.de/presse/homosexualitaet-en
Press images are provided for exclusive use in current reporting in the context of the exhibition named above, and on the condition that
image credits are cited in their entirety, as listed here.