Artists featured in the exhibition (selection): Christian Boltanski, Sergy Bratkov, Isaac Chong Wai, Hartwig Ebersbach, Jonas Englert, Ruth Francken, Itamar Gov, Leiko Ikemura, Sanja Iveković, Rashid Johnson, Koji Kamoji, Jannis Kounellis, Marina Naprushkina, Diane Severin Nguyen, Elske Rosenfeld, Michael Schmidt, Jochen Seidel, Gabriele Stötzer, Hito Steyerl, Tobias Zielony
In 2025, the Kunstmuseum Magdeburg celebrates its 50th anniversary: half a century of artistic engagement, social reflection, and cultural transformation. Since its founding, the museum has been dedicated to contemporary art – both then and now. From the state-controlled art policy of the GDR to the democratic awakening of 1989 to the international outlook of recent decades, the museum tells a story of continual change.
This development is also reflected in the collection: many works were created in times of social upheaval. They bear witness to closeness and distance, to separation and togetherness as something fragile and constantly under challenge. Under the title CHALLENGED TOGETHERNESS, the anniversary exhibition brings together artworks that highlight individuality, contradiction, and the multiplicity of societal voices. Key works from the collection enter into dialogue with contemporary positions, some of which have been newly created for this exhibition.
Together, these works explore the complexity of community and encourage reflection on both historical and current forms of coexistence. Togetherness is never a given – it must be renegotiated time and again. The artworks reveal the ambivalences, challenge familiar patterns of thought, and probe the boundaries between individual and collective memory.
Spread across the museum’s entire exhibition space, CHALLENGED TOGETHERNESS presents a multifaceted panorama of painting, photography, video art, installations, graphics, and sculpture. The exhibition spans five decades – from the artistic practices of the 20th century and the societal shifts following 1989 to today’s forms of communal life. At its heart are questions of community and togetherness – and the role each individual plays within it.
A project part of Herausgeforderte Gemeinschaft / Challenged Togetherness
Funded by the German Federal Cultural Foundation
Opening Hours:
Tuesday - Friday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.
Monday: closed
Source: Kunstmuseum Magdeburg
Kunstmuseum Magdeburg Kloster Unser Lieben Frauen
Regierungsstraße 4-6
39104 Magdeburg
Germany
tel. +49 (0) 391 56 50 20
https://kunstmuseum-magdeburg.de/
kontakt@kunstmuseum-magdeburg.de