NEW YORKER / Diversity United - Art Guide Moscow 22.11.21 – 13.03.22

Prof. Walter Smerling is the founding
director of the MKM Museum
Küppersmühle for Modern Art in
Duisburg and chairman of the Bonn
Foundation for Art and Culture,
which is responsible for the overall
organization of „Diversity United“ at
all three exhibition venues.
large blocks that look like stone
blocks, but made of plastic. They can
be used to build an amphitheater, for
example. And questions arise: How
does democracy work? Is it the best
form of government we have? What
is the current situation in Europe with
its particular interests? Is there more
egomania now than before? How do
we deal with digitalization? Some
artists create works that the public
can find digitally on the wall. Or the
juxtaposition of analog and digital
now, during the crisis, the question of
the value of art and culture in society
is becoming increasingly important.
Is art systemically relevant?
For me, art and culture are very relevant
elements of our lives. Art mirrors
us. We have to be attentive and
engaged with it. A healthy body also
needs a healthy mind. Many things,
such as the fashion industry, for example,
would not have developed as
they have without artistic influence.
Art is essential for our everyday life.
Prof. Walter Smerling
in conversation about
Diversity United:
When did you come up with the
idea for „Diversity United“ and
what is it about the three locations
Moscow, Berlin and Paris?
With the Foundation for Art and
Culture, we had just held the exhibition
„Germany 8 - German Art in
China“ in the Forbidden City in the
center of Beijing. At that moment
I had the thought: whats happening
here should also be possible in
Europe. We showed the German face
of art in China, at a time when there
were many challenges in common
understanding in other areas. And as
we have seen: Art can build bridges.
Quickly, in terms of Europe, the
idea of unity and diversity was born,
„Diversity United.“ And with Moscow,
Berlin and Paris, three places were
chosen that are relevant both today
and from a historical perspective.
The exhibition themes seem
very complex: freedom and dignity,
dialogue and conflict, political
and personal identity, democracy
and its erosion, (fear of) the
future, solidarity and division, the
consequences of the current pandemic.
To what extent are these
themes reflected in the selection
of artists?
In our selection process, we carefully
analyzed the artists‘ work and were
able to see the correspondence to
our themes in those that we included
in the exhibition. For example, how
Gilbert & George deal with everyday
life, or others with the theme of
democracy. The Greek artist Angeli
Dakis, for example, creates a space
that the audience or the visitor can
shape themselves. It consists of
Photo: David Ausserhofer
photography. The digital world also
creates many fears and communication
problems, and the issues of our
society are reflected in art, whether
in Western, Eastern, Northern, Central
or Southern Europe.
How do you explain what art is to
those who are not part of the typical
audience?
Art is a form of expression that
brings together intellect and emotion,
it creates something that grabs
you. Everyone carries creativity within
them. A good example to explain
art is the Mona Lisa‘s smile. Why?
Because you will never know if it expresses
laughter or irony. Especially
What comes to mind instantly
when thinking about fashion and
art?
There is a close relationship. As early
as the 1970s, fashion designer Yves
Saint Laurent was inspired by art
for his designs, specifically by Piet
Mondrian and his constructive color
elements with black strokes to colored
squares. Before a structure is
created, the drawing usually comes
first. This is where artists and fashion
designers have a lot in common in
creating a piece of art or a dress. The
most direct path from the head to the
paper is via the arm.