BLACK STUDIUM. Black Agitprop Artists & Activists in the Weimar Republic
Tue, Mar 12, 2024
6:30 PM–8:00 PM
The James Gallery
Join artist Ina Wudtke for a discussion of the book BLACK STUDIUM and audio work BLACK LIVES AUDIO TRIPTYCH, a tribute to Fasia Jansen, Hilarius Gilges and Joseph Ekwe Bilé.
Wudtke’s art and research draws together archival photos, songs and texts about Fasia Jansen (1929-1997) a political singer-songwriter from Hamburg, Hilarius Gilges (1909-1933), protagonist of the Agitpropgruppe Nordwest-Ran from Düsseldorf, and Joseph Ekwe Bilé (1892-1959) from Douala, who lived in Berlin during the Weimar Republic and was part of the anti-imperialist movement as a communist. The currently-favored image of the Weimar Republic is constructed as a liberal milieu that emphasizes the individual freedom to shape one’s life. Meanwhile, the collectivist face of the workers’ movement and the artists inspired by it are mostly ignored. The evening will be introduced by Professor Emeritus Sharon Zukin.
In partnership with European Union Studies Center, Ralph Bunche Institute; co-sponsored by DAAD Alumni Association
