Historians have succeeded in dividing contemporary era into three phases. The first one begins after the fall of the Berlin Wall, second one means Internet era, and third one starts with terrorist attack on September 11th, 2001. These dates were usually followed by anniversaries which are not always related to a celebration. But, we mark them as an important and crucial moment in the history which leads the world in this or that direction. And as we celebrated 1968 in the last year, in 2009 we celebrate 20 years since 1989 and the fall of the Iron Curtain. Namely, on November 9th, 1989, the Border separating Western from Eastern Germany was opened. This fact changed the Europe and the world.
As it is already well known, the contemporary cultural and artistic practices have always been communicating closely with the time and space in order to react on them. So this year numerous professionals from the field of culture and art are creating and organising projects which refer to 1989. Some of them I am listing here.
According to the fact that 2009 already stepped in the second part of the year we left some events behind us. Among them is the exhibition Where to Go? Notes on Transformation after 1989 which Rotor in Graz was hosted from April 24th to June 13th. This exhibition is talking about Europe 20 years after the fall of the Wall through the eyes of various curators and artists.
Here you can find more about SocialEast Seminar on Foreign Experience in Post-89 Art which took place on May 7th in Ludwig Museum - Museum of Contemporary Art Budapest.
The non-governmental non-profit organization Opona, o.p.s. was established in Prague by a group of young people who felt the need to honourably commemorate and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Iron Curtain. Check the cultural events and projects which have been organised by Opona.
2009 is a special year for Berlin. The city celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Thanks to a peaceful revolution, the border between East and West Germany fell, the Cold War ended, and Germany was reunited. And of course Berlin prepares a lot of cultural events which celebrate the anniversary. An open-air exhibition on the peaceful revolution is on display at Alexanderplatz in Berlin from May 7th until November 14th. In both German and English, it documents the political and social developments in the GDR that led to the fall of the Wall. Check it here.
The main event in Berlin is waiting for us on November 9th when the spectacular Festival of Freedom will take place at the Brandenburg Gate.
An art collection related to the Berlin Wall you can find here
Here you can find more cultural events which celebrate 20th anniversary in Germany and abroad.
Of course, if I miss some of events which you know or you organise please leave your comments and informed us about them.
At the end of this year we can expect a numerous articles which will discuss this anniversary and explore how the political and social changes influenced the artistic and cultural life in Europe. I suggest waiting till the end of the year. Than I will browse the Internet trying to collect interesting articles which will be available in virtual space.
Con etiqueta:
anniversaries, berlin wall, celebration, europe, iron curtain
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