Einhundert’s WEITERTRAGEN – a subject experience — HVW8 BERLIN
HVW8 Berlin, Einhundert Collective and adidas Originals is pleased to present “WEITERTRAGEN – a subject experience” is a group exhibition curated by Berlin-based DJ and Photographer, Nico Adomako. Together with fellow artists: Joanna Legid, Luis-Claudio Joao Fernando, Laurel Chokoago, Alice Z Jones and Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, the exhibition aims to explore the Black experience in Germany not only from an individual perspective of both curator and artist, but also the viewer and their/her/his perception of, and relationship to the Black experience in Germany.
The exhibition takes place at HVW8 Gallery Berlin, located in Berlin-Mitte’s high-end shopping district. The location also serves to provoke reflection regarding the political dimension of Black bodies in a predominantly white neighborhood, encapsulating entrenched cultural hierarchies and the notion of objectification of Black people in Germany in the contemporary white “experts” and institutions racism discourse. This is further reflected by the exhibition title “WEITERTRAGEN”.
Meaning “to carry on / carry sth. forward” or “to continue”, WEITERTRAGEN is both a statement and a command to continue the tradition of the early Black German Civil Rights movement, and the work of important intellectual thinkers such as poet and activist, May Ayim, the new generation of confident and proud young Black Germans, and the German majority. In questioning, demanding, and showing the continuation of past debates and intellectual/artistic practices, “WEITERTRAGEN – a subjective experience” engages viewers as well as artists to question where they stand, but also how to continue going forward.
Should black people continue to carry the weight of anti-racist activism and explain racism? Do Black Germans need white people to acknowledge their experience for it to change? Or should it be white civil society doing the work? Why is the previous work by Black German leaders not considered in contemporary debate? How come schools neglect to mention the hundreds of years of Black German heritage, colonialism, or Black Germans’ intellectual, cultural and economic achievements that have contributed greatly to Germany’s societal growth?
“WEITERTRAGEN – a subjective experience” is a highly individualistic project, and therefore does not claim to speak for everyone. It is rather the reflection on the subjective experience – an important point of departure and retrospect at the same time. However, it is by no means a just or wholistic representation of past, present and future experiences, nor does it aim to simplify hundreds of years of Black German heritage, culture and activism. It cannot bring justice to the racism experienced by Turkish, Arab and Asian minorities or other marginalised groups – another dimension to German racism. Instead, the exhibition deliberately leaves it to all viewers to carry forward this first impulse, to continue researching, educating and reflecting – to WEITERTRAGEN – as a subjective experience necessary to achieve true equality and representation for all minorities in Germany.
