Recreational facility in Samanid Park in Bukhara (Uzbekistan), March 12, 2025. Photo: Matthias Bruhn
Edith Lee smoking a cigarette during the 'Torches for Freedom March', New York City, 31. März 1929
What does the term “the West” still stand for today? In the wake of globalization, its meaning has shifted repeatedly and now encompasses industrialized nations that may be located in East Asia and the South Pacific. The division between a global North and South also presents its own challenges. As an imaginary point of reference—and a symbol of both friend and foe—the West has clearly not yet outlived its usefulness. This provides an opportunity for an iconographic assessment.
The seminar has compiled images of social stereotypes, idealized representations, and caricatures that do not necessarily originate in the West but are somehow meant to represent it. For the tour, the gatehouse in the entrance area of the HfG will be redesigned to display a selection of examples. The architecture itself serves as a model of Western modernism.
Participants: Marie Herrndorff, Wera Hertenstein, Michael Janus, Lorena Karn, Darius Kühner, Florian Lips, Daniel Lythgoe, Michelle Nikolas, Alena Poser, Yidan Qin, Helena Schenk, Leonie Werner, and Julia Ziegler
Director: Matthias Bruhn (Art Research & Media Philosophy)