- Telekom presents an art exhibition in the 2019 European Capital of Culture
- "Listen To Us – Artistic Intelligence" looks back on Eastern European countries' shared recent history
This year Deutsche Telekom is paying a special visit to the Bulgarian city of Plovdiv, the 2019 European Capital of Culture. In an exhibition entitled "Listen To Us – Artistic Intelligence" (April 4 - June 30), the company will present contemporary art from Eastern and Southeastern Europe – and thereby contribute to one of the highlights of the city's cultural program. The exhibition, being presented 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, looks back on Eastern European countries' shared recent history. The more than 80 works being shown focus especially on human experience from that perspective, consistently looking across national borders. More than 40 artists are represented.
"A good time to look back"
Antje Hundhausen, Head of Brand Experience at Deutsche Telekom, is responsible for building and structuring the Art Collection Telekom. She describes the context for the event: “This year, 30 years after the fall of the Iron Curtain, is a good time to look back on that transition. The Art Collection Telekom, with its focus on art of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, is an excellent vehicle for such a perspective. The collection offers insights into the richness and diversity of that cultural region's artistic and social trends.”
“Listen To Us," the first half of the exhibition title, comes from the name of a work by the Cypriot artist Lito Kattou. It's a message that Kattou brings across with mirrored letters. Her key message is seconded by Sanja Iveković, a pioneer of feminist art. The Croatian artist has worked with women's shelters around the world, for many years. With her series "Sunglasses (Women's House)," she launched a public campaign to call attention to the problem of violence against women.
“Listen To Us – Artistic Intelligence” scrutinizes the recent past, thereby speaking to our present and our future. With subtle, nuanced looks at recent history, and with artistic intelligence, it calls our attention to current European issues. Its works stake out and illuminate complex and controversial themes. Along with the Art Collection Telekom, the exhibition also presents works of Bulgarian artists. This section features works from the early 1990s, such as works by Albena Mihaylova-Benji and Sasho Stoitzov.
In cooperation with the Goethe Institute of Bulgaria
The exhibition sites, which are spread throughout Plovdiv, all offer fascinating insights into the city's history. The sites include a former warehouse of the country's tobacco industry, historic buildings in Plovdiv's venerable old city, Plovdiv's centrally located municipal museum, and the Vasov National Library, an architectural masterpiece of the late modern socialist period.
Deutsche Telekom is presenting the exhibition in cooperation with the Goethe Institute of Bulgaria and the Open Arts Foundation Bulgaria. It is being curated by the art experts Nathalie Hoyos and Rainald Schumacher. Dimitrina Petrova is providing added support as coordinator. Special tours and workshops for the exhibition have been prepared in cooperation with Folkwang Museum Essen.
Further information:
Images
„Listen To Us – Artistic Intelligence“
Art Collection Telekom
Über die Deutsche Telekom: Konzernprofil
