Subcultural Art from East Germany
An exhibition in Cottbus takes you on a journey back in time to the still predominantly analogue era and sheds light on the diversity of the subcultural scenes in the former GDR in the 1980s. On display are works by prominent protagonists of those counter-spaces in the form of colourful mail art, unique posters and experimental folding blinds.
A rare example of a cross-city merger of these subcultural milieus was the 1985 festival “Intermedia I: Klangbild / Farbklang” in Coswig near Dresden, where painted roller blinds formed the brilliant backdrop for punk and action art. The organizers had previously sent these to over 40 artists with a request to work on them.
However, postal networks were not only used to send roller blinds. From the 1970s onwards, creative mail artists developed them into an independent art form. Envelopes, stationery, postcards, stamps and even rubber stamps were artistically processed and spread internationally. Although the mail art scene in the GDR was relatively small, it played an important role as an autonomous and subversive art space that is still recognized globally today.
The Exhibition
Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für moderne Kunst, Dieselkraftwerk, Uferstraße/Am Amtsteich 15, 03046 Cottbus
until 24 August 2025, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. (except Mondays)
The Image
The image on top if the page is Music for Paper by Robert Rehfeldt (Berlin GDR, 1988).
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