Either it is the sun reflecting through the crispy, golden leafs or it’s the rain puring down the steam windows autumn is the perfect session for visiting museums. This time, we’d like to present to you the list of art exhibitions focused on Central and Easter European area from the famous centers as well as from the cities that seem to be destined to be strolled during autumn. Each of the exhibitions conveys unique story and curatorial approach. Afterall, what’s better season than autumn to unfold mysteries hidden beneath the surface of the artworks?
GABRIELE MÜNTER: THE GREAT EXPRESSIONIST WOMAN PAINTER
Where: Thyssen-Bornemisza Museo Nacional, Madrid, Spain
When: 12 November 2024 – 9 February 2025
Conventionally, when we are thinking about the legendary group of Expressionists der Blaue Reiter the first surnames that come to mind are those of great male artists such as Kandinsky. Nevertheless, among the founders of der Blaue Reiter, there was an artist Gabriele Münter who rebelled against the limits imposed on women of her day and who succeeded in becoming one of the most notable figures of German Expressionism in the early 20th century. Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza will be holding the first Spanish retrospective on Gabriele Münter which includes more than one hundred paintings, drawings, prints, and photographs.
ERWIN WURM A 70th-BIRTHDAY RETROSPECTIVE
Where: Albertina Modern, Vienna, Austria
When: 13 September 2024 – 9 MARCH 2025
The author of the iconic series One Minute Sculptures Erwin Wurm whose conceptual art spans beneath the artistic discourse and conveys social issues of the past and present century finishes 70 years old this year. Because of this great occasion, Viennese Albertina Modern presents a vast retrospective of his artistic workshop that comprises media of creative expression such as sculptures, drawings and instructions, videos, and photographs.
VELVET TERRORISM: PUSSY RIOT’S RUSSIA
Where: Haus der Kunst, Munich, Germany
When: 6 September 2024 – 2 February 2025
Can resistance be an art itself? Activism, feminism, independence, anarchy and after all punk. All in one against the war and regime are simply a few associations that come to mind when thinking about Pussy Riot’s artistic expression. After two years when Velvet Terrorism. Pussy Riot’s Russia was exhibited in Reykjavik, there is a chance to see and witness the presentation of the Pussy Riot’s collective work, or to be exact – the work to date of Maria Alyokhina, for the first time in Germany.
TIME MACHINE – A NEW SELECTION FROM THE COLLECTION OF THE LUDWIG MUSEUM
Where: Ludwig Museum, Budapest, Hungary
When: 1 September 2020 – 5 January 2025
Time Machine – New Selection from the Collection of the Ludwig Museum is indeed a display of a Museum’s enormous collection of art pieces that were put together to create an artistic time-travel mechanism. After all, what exactly is and what can be a time machine? As the curators highlight: “The exhibition is introduced by works related to time, the passage of time and notable dates, and then giving insight into individual destinies and family stories, the private history of Central and Eastern Europe”.
PAKUI HARDWARE. VIRTUAL CARE
Where: Radvila Palace Museum of Art, Vilnius, Lithuania
When: 19 June – 1 December 2024
Posthumanism and transhumanism – the ideological threats or useful, contemporary tools? Neringa Černiauskaite and Ugnius Gelguda world widely known as an artistic duo Pakui Hardware within the exhibition Pakui Hardware. Virtual Care uses a scientific-like approach to explore the digitalization of health, medicine, and its data. Human and non-human relations and practices are visible in Pauki Hardware’s sculptures that merge technology, draperies, and organic and synthetic materials. The exhibition depicts the correlations between virtual and what we, as human beings; consider as a reality in the post-pandemic period.
LA SAISON DE LA LITUANIE EN FRANCE 2024.
Where: Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
When: 14 September 2024 – 6 January 2025
La Saison de la lituanie en France which will take place in the famous Centre Pompidou might be another excellent opportunity to dive into Lithuanian art. In particular, there are going to be two exhibitions and the following events that are the effect of the cooperation with MO Museum de Vilnius. The main exhibition will showcase a selection of artists highlighting the richness of Lithuanian art from the 1960s to the present day that were and are correlating with ongoing historical and social events in Lithuania. Among the announced surnames can be found: Marija Teresė Rožanskaitė, Kazimiera Zimblytė, Linas Leonas Katinas, Vincas Kisarauskas and Elvyra Kairiūktytė. The exhibition also brings together donations from contemporary Lithuanian artists: Eglė Rakauskaitė, Anastasia Sosunova, Andrius Arutiunian, Žilvinas Landzbergas, and (as for the above) Pakui Hardware.
THE TWIST. FAILING EMPIRES, TRIUMPHANT PROVINCES
Where: MNAC – Muzeul Național de Artă Contemporană al României
(Museum of Contemporary Art of Romania), Bucharest, Romania
When: 13 June – 10 November 2024
The visit to MNAC is a journey that starts with the very first glance at the exterior. Firstly, we find ourselves intimidated in front of the infamous, monumental, social-realistic Romanian Parliament. However, it is where the narrative of The Twist. Failing Empires, Triumphant Provinces’ begins. The exhibition is indeed the “twist”. The curatorial approach can be seen as a juxtaposition of “old” and “new”. After all, the visitors are exposed to a seemingly asynchronous, visual narrative that relies on artworks, archeological treasures, objects of devotion, and vintage or current everyday products. However, the main twist of the exhibition is to reveal the opposite powers and dynamics of the center and periphery throughout the history of “the Carpathian-Danubian-Pontic space”.
THE FUTURE IS IN ONE HOUR: ESTONIAN ART IN THE 1990s
Where: Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, Estonia
When: permanent exhibition
Have you ever wondered how revolutionary the ’90s were around the Baltic area? Kumu Art Museum from Tallinn offers a deep dive into Estonian art from that undoubtedly transitional era. The title of the exhibition has been borrowed from the lyrics of a 1993 song by the legendary Estonian punk band J.M.K.E., which captures the absurd atmosphere of the decade that turned almost all values upside down.
Written by Martyna Topolska
