KP Brehmer. Art ≠ Propaganda

KP Brehmer belongs to a generation of artists which has taken a critical stance to the pictorial language of the Federal Republic of Germany since the 1960s. He investigated the artistic, linguistic, and cinematic strategies and forms of communication used by mass media and public institutions, and reflected on the pervasive influence of advertising in everyday life in Germany. For example, infographics – an important journalistic tool nowadays – play a central role in his works. In retrospective group exhibitions, Brehmer’s works are generally portrayed as a European, ironically subtle variant of Pop Art, whereby the integral, innovative dimensions of his work often go unnoticed. His presence at international exhibitions, such as in Istanbul in 2009 and Venice in 2013 demonstrate, however, that his themes remain topical and relevant to a younger generation of artists.
Curators at four museums – in Nuremberg, Hamburg, Istanbul and The Hague – are collaborating on a project to rediscover this artist. They are jointly developing the exhibition for presentation at all four venues, each with different areas of focus. The exhibition combines KP Brehmer’s artistic examination of the efficacy of mass-media images with contemporary concerns regarding the reliability of our information and the crisis of trust plaguing the mainstream media (“fake news”). The exhibition includes newly discovered source materials and works which have never been shown before.

Artistic director: Eva Kraus
Curators: Selen Ansen (TR), Daniel Koep (NL), Eva Kraus, Petra Roettig
Consultants: René Block, Sebastian Brehmer
Exhibition designer: Kilian Fabich