WE KEEP ON GROWING

by Jan Van Holleben

HOLDING TIGHT

STUCK

COMPLEX

AIR TRAFFIC

WE KEEP ON GROWING
(by Volker Ludwig, Grips Theater)

We keep on growing
Every day a bit
We keep on growing
That's being lucky
Big people stay big
Or they might shrink
We keep on growing
All by itself
We keep on growing
Every dummy knows
We keep on growing
Even whilst asleep
Nevertheless if it rains
Thunders or snows
We keep on growing
And also become smart
We keep on growing
We are stubborn with that
We keep on growing
On and on and on
Even when we are locked up
or beaten
We keep on growing
Nothing can change that

The title for these images derives from a German children’s song from Grips Theatre, one of the most popular children’s theatre groups in Europe. Initially founded by students, the theatre group emphasized an alternative agenda while dealing with topical issues such as the environment, energy, war, racism and violence. The song deals with, from a youth’s perspective, the sense of discovery that comes from learning we’re all in a state of constant growth. “These songs were my nursery rhymes,” says von Holleben.

NOTES:
(from the artist's own notes)
The project is about the freedom and fun we can have in life.
I believe that German youth has gained a lot of confidence over the last 10 years.

CULT-GEIST: The titles are the past, the images are the future.

PORTRAIT SERIES

by Stefan Ruhmke



Stefan grew up in the 80s of Socialist East Germany, very close to the omnipresent socio-cultural dividing wall in Berlin Pankow. When the wall came down in '89, Stefan was only 10 years old. He always imagined the West to be a happy colorful place where dreams could come true. His relatives who lived on the other side of the wall in West Berlin always brought him the nicest things – fruits he'd never seen, comic books that fueled his imagination and his first camera.

Once Berlin was reunited Stefan started to explore the city in his own way. Berlin fast and constantly transforming - on its way to form a new identity. Equipped with his camera, Stefan soon became obsessed with capturing this new world that the west opened up, the endless opportunities it seemed to provide, the freedom and decided to fully embrace it. Over the years he became accustomed with the media saturated society of the West, its turbo capitalism and obsession with tabloid and celebrity culture. Working as a freelance photographer in the advertising industry he still managed to maintain some of his unique East spirit, unimpressed by the superficial consumer culture of the west. Like many of his fellow east Germans who left their villages and cities to get a glimpse of the magic they thought the West could provide them with, he realized that it wasn't all glamour that waited for him out there.

Drawing specific attention to the ever increasing casting, model "make me famous" agencies in Berlin, Stefan shows how Germany ever too quickly just adapts to American standards and their popular cultural output. Because they are still lacking its own identity, they are to a certain extent, welcoming the American popular cultural imperialism – young German girls obsessed with, and trying to imitate their American idols and their dreams of "FAME".

It's a hard competition in Berlin for actors, models, singers and wannabe celebrities as the German media landscape can only offer limited time, space and use for them. The girls have to go through a hard competition and can only expect a short-lived career – whereas in the States people appreciate their stars (because they made it) as part of the American dream, in Germany the public just waits for them to fail and for the media to jump on them.

Stefan's portrait series shows 38 girls that all attended the same casting, all who look very much alike and all didn't get the job in the end. Especially without their eyes they look like clones created by a global media industry

MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL... WHO AM I?

by Bella Lieberberg














I am a teenager in germany at the prime of my youth. Please don't think of me as "German". I don't like that category. German identity is very difficult to understand. Can I be proud of being German? Pride is difficult to grasp. What does national identity mean these days anyway? Yes I like my country - I like Goethe, Bauhaus, Walter Benjamin, Adorno, Frankfurt School, I like Berlin now and in the 1920s and I like Dada, Fassbinder... I like the German stereotypes because they are often true (it is very clean and we do recycle a lot), I like the fact that we are a social democracy! I like our literature and movies. Germany is great place to grow up and develop a modern free mind.

Because I am jewish its easy for me to deal with the past as I don't need to doubt my grandparents ideology and what they might have done. The German past is still omnipresent and is still haunting us but we don't want anything to with it anymore which is a difficult dichtonomy - one the one side there is a public that is sick and tired of hearing the stories about the holocaust again and again, being constantly reminded of what their "heimat" once was and on the other side it is important to accept that burden, to know what happened and to never forget it. Still I dont want to be associated with old cliches and national pride. Its silly for any country and as I believe still one of the major reasons for wars all
around the world.

There is this song I heard on American Pop Idol "I am proud to be an american well at least i know I am free..." I don't know why but it gave me goosebumps....?

A NEW GERMAN

by Tomislav Chagall


aj celebrating his naturalization in style

a new german

my life in germany began with a »no«—coming to frankfurt at the age of five, without any knowledge of german whatsoever save the word »nein« i recall entering kindergarten and bickering with another kid whose incomprehensible flood of words i could only parry with reiterated dissent in its purest form.

i mastered german soon afterwards and started blending in, adapting to the formerly alien surroundings and unfamiliar social conventions—still, during my adolescence i would be confronted again and again with the assertion: »you are not one of us, you just live here.«

for several years, rejection was a constant and reliable companion; evincing open hostility or exhibiting sophisticated disdain, it served to fuel my anger at the germans’ callous attitude, complacent in their privilege, which led them to look down upon immigrants and to refuse acknowledgement of accomplishments unless you excelled them. i lost count of the ways in which my name had been misspelled, each an audacious display of ignorance and disrespect. i vacillated from an idiosyncrasy of solitude, manifested as a recluse dwelling in my apartment, to exuberant communication aimed at deconstructing others’ preconceived misconceptions, however, ultimately perpetuating intellectual segregation and disassociating from germans myself.

it wasn’t until i became aware of my own fallacies that i attempted transcending the disease of conditioning andbegan working towards maintaining my focus on the dichotomy of being an immigrant turned german. i remembered what my english teacher at high school once had told us: »in addition to your upbringing in germany, your cultural heritage, passed on to you from your parents, opens doors to you that will remain shut to someone who has only lived in his native environment. you are not only german, you are more than that—consider it a bonus.« from then on, coming to terms with my personal »deutschtum« became straightforward and effortless.

in retrospect, the final step on the way to crossing the line from heteronomy to autonomy was naturalization—identifying with the community i considered being a part of, conflicts and past bitterness notwithstanding; appreciating the past as an experience that made me who i am, but turning towards the present and facing the future in order to develop further; being more than a campaign, more than a buzzword, more than a trend; contributing to unity in diversity.

and now—i am here, i live ... i matter: a new german, yes.


CULT-GEIST: The Modern German

PRIDE

by Nomad



The picture tells it all: The USA and Europe might have bigger cocks but what good is a huge cock if you can't get it up. Berlin's cock might be small compared to the rest of the world, but it's shaved and its erect.

This image has besides is an allegory to Berlin as one of the most important centers of the world for sociocultural development (networking, music, nightlife, gay & lesbian rights, human rights, political awareness, eco-capitalism, etc.).

Berlin represents a new Germany. Inner city district Prenzlauer Berg has the highest birthrate per square kilometer in the world. People breed like rabbits - another more direct link to the erect penis.

The cock is shaved because Berlin is shaved, shaved by the times of the split in the Cold War era. A shaved cock is nicer to suck, so the world came and sucked Berlin's cock. Big money investors as well as creative and smart people from all over the world are drawn into Berlin and are building - willingly or not - a new national identity.

Notes:
(from the artist)
It's got less to do with a pride that comes from belonging to a certain nationality, then from belonging to the same group of human beings, being at the same spot at the same time.

CULT-GEIST: Less to do with pride about being German than being part of a collective group of people who are in the NOW.

DEUTSCH MICH NICHT VOLL

©Deutsch mich nicht voll by Naneci Yurdagül

Artist’s Statement:

Why do you speak german so well? Where are you from? Do you want to go back to where you once belonged to? Naneci Yurdagül got tired of answering: I was born here, I am german and thus created in 2002 the phrase „Deutsch mich nicht voll“ © (Stop deutsching me). Back then he was part and performer of the self organized migrant group „Kanak-Attak.“ It is a community of different people from diverse backgrounds who share a commitment - to erase racism from German society. Kanak Attak is not interested in questions about your passport or origin. Kanak Attak is therefore anti-nationalist, anti-racist and rejects every single form of identity politics. They compete for a new attitude of migrants of all generations that they want to bring on stage, independently and without compromise.

“Deutsch mich nicht voll” raises questions about deutsch identity and what it means to be a german in 2007. In terms of the discussion about the “new” germany and the often claimed optimism Yurdagül printed a limited edition of T-Shirts with the slogan “Deutsch mich nicht voll” and distributed them on the worlds most famous art fair Art Basel in Switzerland in 2007. It is no secret that quite some of the swiss people don’t like the germans. Taking advantage of those prejudices Yurdagül decided to give those people a mean to show their opinion and by doing so becoming part of his art project. He wants people to talk about racism in and against germans, to fight racism where it appears in its early stage. It is most important to provoke to start a discussion then just to exclude the excluders. Especially the swiss media was really touched by a german with migrant background who talked about the swiss racism against germany even their tongue is german as well.

Naneci Yurdagül grew up in the Frankfurt suburbs. He is the child of turkish-syrian parents, but was raised by german foster parents. Due to his family situation and the enviroment of his childhood he had and has to deal with rassistic prejudices and identity issues. Even though he feels, talks and admires to be a german and of course is a german citizen, who was born in germany and raised by germans, germans regularly doubt his german identity.

Yurdagül studies at the academy for fine arts – Städelschule in Frankfurt am Main - in the class of Prof. Tobias Rehberger. He is using all kind of different medias and is especially dealing with formats in between installations, performance and conceptual art.


CULT-GEIST: The Modern German

INVISIBLE SPIRIT

by Joerg Bergs


RAMONA
(works in the deep frieze section at Aldi)


GINA
(model)


RENE
(mechanical engineer)


DENISE
(tailor)

It’s interesting to look at Germany since the beginning of the new millennium. On one hand, the days of the cold war are numbered; on the other hand a new trend is starting in Germany.

The reunion of Germany received both national and international recognition. German youngsters have more freedom than ever before. The German state is making it possible. That’s what everybody feels when they get the chance to go abroad to visit developing countries.

During my project for Cult-Geist, I realised that German youth aren’t consciously aware of this new trend, only unconsciously. This really crystallised during my interviews. The whole purpose of my project was to look for “hidden inspiration” about the new German spirit through specific and loose questioning. The people I spoke to live this spirit unconsciously.

The people I spoke to were all middle class German young people. Watching people is a trend of the impoverishment, not just financially but also in the spiritual sense among youngsters and children who come from poor backgrounds. It’s not only linked to increasingly poor education, but also the idea that is somewhat radically right-wing.

The policy is absolutely aware of this and projects are founded that help against e.g. impoverishment. This positive attitude is what can predominantly be seen in my pictures.


CULT-GEIST: Hesitant Confidence