“IDENTITY NOT PROVEN” NEW ACQUISITIONS FOR THE FEDERAL COLLECTION, Bundeskunsthalle Bonn, 2022

“IDENTITY NOT VERIFIED”
NEW ACQUISITIONS TO THE FEDERAL COLLECTION

Bundeskunsthalle Bonn
May 7–October 3, 2022

The Bundeskunsthalle regularly presents exhibitions featuring works from the federal collection. This exhibition showcases a selection of around 170 works purchased by the expert commission during its five-year term (2017–2021), as well as works acquired by an expanded commission with funding from Neustart Kultur (2020–2021). The mixing of the two purchase collections promises the greatest possible topicality and a representative cross-section of contemporary, sometimes very young, production.

The curatorial concept was developed with a team of members of the acquisition commissions, and the chosen title of the exhibition, a quote from a work, already refers to the standards applied to the selection of works: Diversity, tolerance, and social and personal questioning are the criteria according to which the works were selected. Thematic areas such as contemporary political and social relevance, postcolonial discourse, posthumanity, historical constructions, urbanity, and the aesthetics inherent in the works were also decisive for the dialogical concept. The exhibition takes into account the federal government's collection, which is relevant in the contemporary context, and illustrates how historical and current developments, collective viewing habits, and questioning of image constructions are implemented artistically and exemplarily. The selection of works also demonstrates that contemporary forms of artistic expression encompass a wide range of techniques and media—from large-scale installations, drawing, painting, and sculpture to photography and video works.

Contemporary Art Collection of the Federal Republic of Germany

Acquisitions from 2017 to 2021 and Neustart Kultur acquisitions from 2020 to 2021

An exhibition by the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany in cooperation with the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).

Curator: Susanne Kleine