Chaos unfolds, artistic opposition emerges, norms are challenged, society undergoes turmoil, changes abound.
In a unique collaboration between the Federal Agency for Civic Education, the Institute for Theater Studies at Leipzig University, and other institutes of the Faculty of History, Art, and Regional Studies at Leipzig University, a lecture series entitled "Boundaries, Transitions, Transformations" is set to begin in the summer semester of 2025. This 14-date series, open to all interested parties, will delve into the intricate relationship between artistic modernism, Dadaism, and socialist realism in the German Democratic Republic (GDR), as well as their correlation with sociological approaches such as a theory of civil disobedience.
The keynote speaker for the opening lecture on October 14th, from 17-19 hours, will be Thomas Krüger. A renowned figure in German politics and academia, Krüger has served as President of the Federal Agency for Civic Education since July 2000 and as President of the German Children's Fund since 1995. He has also been a member of the advisory board for the Federal President's History Competition and the advisory board for further education at the German Association of Adult Education.
Krüger's expertise in art and its subversive potential will be on full display as he discusses the role of art in a constitutional context, questioning its ability to push boundaries while fulfilling its autonomous and aesthetic demands. The lecture will take place in Lecture Hall 12 of Leipzig University, in the Lecture Hall Building, Universitätsstraße 3, on the 2nd Floor.
The series will continue to explore positionings of artistic practice in the present, connecting the festival theme "Boundaries" 35 years after German reunification with a retrospective on the interweaving of cultures, arts, and politics in the GDR and the transformation period. The series will conclude at the 12th Festival of Politics in Free Theater.
Throughout the series, guests from various societal areas and scientific disciplines will share their insights, making this a must-attend event for anyone interested in the intersection of art, politics, and society. And best of all, no registration is required – all are welcome to attend.
