Rohkunstbau 12

Kinderszenen Childrens Play
The Rohkunstbau XII exhibition Kinderszenen Childs Play will entice audiences with fabulous fairy tale worlds filled with chimaeras, dwarves, dreams and nightmares. It will explore the childlike joy of discovery, but also the limits of childhood itself with fascinating scenes from the perspective of adults who have been inspired by a past that is not their own.

Thirteen internationally renowned artists have travelled to the countryside to find inspiration as they remember their childhood and reflect on the nature of being a child today. They have created their works specifically for Gross Leuthen Castle, which during and after the Second World War served as an orphanage and has thus for over a half century been witness to hundreds of experiences, childrens dreams and childrens fates. Very different from one another, the rooms of the castle mirror the conglomerate of styles that characterise the whole structure. Their spellbinding diversity has served both as a challenge and inspiration to the participating artists.

The works of art showcased in the Rohkunstbau XII exhibition reflect the history of the building as well as the individual memories of the artists. Above and beyond that, they highlight current issues surrounding childhood in our aging society. Rohkunstbau XII is a trip down memory lanea journey which is rewritten each time it is taken, always revealing its relationship to the here and now in new and unexpected ways.

For the first time, the accompanying Rohkunstbau Festival shares the theme of the exhibition, and in doing so expands the thematic argument to include performing arts: for nine weeks, music, performance, theatre, film and literature readings will engage with the topic of childhood memories from a variety of perspectives. Not by chance, the title Kinderszenen corresponds to the composition by Robert Schumann of the same name. The thirteen pieces that Schumann wrote in 1838 reflect upon childlike impressions, joys and fears, as well as the mechanisms of memory.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a catalogue.

The patron of the Rohkunstbau projects in 2005 is Wolfgang Thierse, President of the German Bundestag.