Concept

Werkleitz was founded in 1993 at a period of enormous upheaval. The fall of the Wall and the collapse of the East European dictatorships lead to a euphoric embrace of democracy that shone outward far beyond Europe. At the same time, the World Wide Web began establishing itself as the key technology of a future that seemed to promise open communication between all people. This mood of optimism and renewal was reflected in the founding of Werkleitz as a collective with flat hierarchies and shared curatorship engaging with collaborative partners Europe-wide.

In the early 1990s however the finance markets were also deregulated. The nation state began withdrawing from its role as the central and sovereign architect of society by giving way to the imperative to cut government spending. Economic pressure and the associated fears have given rise to antidemocratic movements in many European countries. The dream of European unity is vanishing. For Werkleitz, the 20th anniversary is an occasion to reflect on these contradictory tendencies. 20 curators and theoreticians have been invited to propose and discuss new works shown along an exhibition path as well as in film and performance programmes. A symposium will be held in Halle to accompany the exhibition. The title Utopien vermeiden (Avoiding Utopias) is derived from the neon letters of the same name by Martin Conrath from the first Werkleitz exhibition from 1993 and signals the ambivalence of these last 20 years.