"Do you have something to fight for?" with works of Belorusets in Berlin
The eventful 100-year history of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and its basic values of freedom, justice and solidarity are reflected in a special way in its art collection. On the occasion of the anniversary, we are presenting a curated selection of the collection in dialogue with contemporary positions of (former) art scholarship holders on the basis of various subject areas – such as the workers’ movement, war, repression and expulsion, politics and representation or continuities and upheavals. Historically determined gaps, such as a smaller number of female artists or female politicians portrayed, are reflected and filled by current artistic works.
The title of the exhibition “Do you have something to fight for?” refers to the artistic intervention of the same name by Polina Stohnushko (born 1994 in Kiev), which places it in public space as an exhibition contribution. It can be read as a question, but also as an invitation to get socially involved. What is worth fighting for in the face of current crises and a democracy that is coming under increasing pressure? Which topics will accompany us continuously and continue to determine our foundation’s work in the future?
Works of art from the collection of outstanding artists will be shown, such as Gerd Arntz, Bernhard Heisig, Rainer Fetting, Richard Hamilton, Günter Grass, George Grosz, Käthe Kollwitz, Max Pechstein, Lotte B. Prechner, Wolfgang Mattheuer, Karl Schmidt- Rottluff or Klaus Staeck.
Among the artists involved, all (former) art scholarship holders of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, there are also artists who work with photography, film or video: Qusay Awad, Yevgenia Belorusets, Stephanie Bergwinkl, Cihan Çakmak, Soso Dumbadze, Carsten Kalashnikov, Ksenia Kuleshova and Astra Zoldnere.
Other artists include: Samson Ali Kpohou, Christine Biehler, André di Franco, Judith Drews, Henning Eichinger, Johanna Failer, Manuel Franke, Hiltrud Gauf, Vroni Geiselbrechtinger, Raisan Hameed, Franziska Junge, Magdalena Kallenberger, Meike Porz, Shur Collective and Polina Stohnushko.
Exhibition architecture: chezweitz, Berlin
A richly illustrated catalog will be published for the exhibition with essays by Saskia Ackermann, Carsten Brosda and Maren Ziese as well as information about the artists involved: “Do you have something to fight for? 100 Jahre Fördern und Gestalten”, Beate Eckstein, Franziska Richter, Peter Pfister (Hg.), catalogue Dietz Verlag, ISBN 978-3-8012-0693-2.
The art exhibition takes place at two exhibition locations as well as in public spaces:
Feb 28 — June 15, 2025
House 1 of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Hiroshimastr. 17. 10785 Berlin
Feb 28 — Mar 13, 2025
Künstlerhaus Bethanien, Kottbusser Str. 10/d, 10999 Berlin