Project description
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Otl Aicher (1922–1991), a pioneer of 20th-century German graphic design, the Museum Ulm has teamed up with the HfG-Archiv to explore forms of protest in visual design. The exhibition juxtaposes Aicher’s works with contemporary socio-critical positions and gauges their topicality in relation to these.
Otl Aicher made a name for himself in the world of graphic design as a communication and corporate design trendsetter. Major companies, such as Lufthansa, commissioned him after World War II to come up with corporate designs that would optically evoke a sense of “rebirth”. As an adolescent, Aicher resisted the indoctrination of the Nazi regime. His political position formed the foundation for his entire oeuvre. Together with his wife Inge Aicher-Scholl, sister of Hans and Sophie Scholl, and the architect and artist Max Bill, Otl Aicher founded the renowned Ulm School of Design (HfG) in 1953. In the 1960s, he began designing logos and posters for resistance and protest groups. The posters were his medium of choice for expressing political opinions. The first part of the exhibition “Otl Aicher 100: Protest and Resistance” introduces the public to Aicher’s works in the HfG-Archiv, presented alongside contemporary pieces provided by the Museum Ulm. In these typically large-scale works, photographers, installation artists, street artists and graphic designers artistically express their critique against discrimination, violence, excessive consumerism etc. Among the many contemporary works on display, the exhibition features pieces by the street artist Robin Rhode on issues of identity in South Africa, the “Wear-a-Mask” campaign by the graphic designer Norma Bar calling for solidarity in the pandemic, and light installations by the concept artist Jenny Holzer who highlights the problem of violence toward women. The posters by the American concept artist Barbara Kruger address socio-political issues from a feminist and consumerism-critical perspective. A selection of her works will be exhibited at public venues in downtown Ulm.
In an open call issued on nextmuseum.io, the Museum Ulm will invite artists to submit their own contemporary design proposals on the topic of protest. The results will be documented online.
Artistic directors: Stefanie Dathe, Martin Mäntele
Artists: Noma Bar, Jeremy Deller, Frank (Shepard) Fairey, Jenny Holzer, Barbara Kruger, Fazal Sheikh, Oliviero Toscani
Exhibition: Museum Ulm and the HfG-Archiv (formerly the Ulm School of Design), Ulm: 12 Nov. 2022 –16 Apr. 2023