Franz Wanner. Suspended Presences

A pair of Plexiglas safety glasses stands at the beginning of the exhibition "Suspended Presences" by Franz Wanner (b. Protected content , Bad Tölz). The glasses were unearthed during excavations on the grounds of the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp. They belonged to a person who was used for forced labor in the arms industry and wrote them to shield their eyes. To date, no information has been recovered about this person. Their desire to protect themselves is evident to this day.

Franz Wanner is interested in the gap between reality and self-representation of the Federal Republic of Germany. To this end, he researches its history and closely examines how it is embellished, sanitized, and utilized for present-day purposes. The exploitation of labor is the central theme of his exhibition at the Lenbachhaus: under Nazism, forced labor was widespread in all areas of society. It was on the massive structures of Nazi forced labor that Germany's later recruitment agreements with Italy, Turkey, Greece, and Yugoslavia were founded. ...

As artist in residence of the Harun Farocki Institute, Franz Wanner developed the exhibition “Mind the Memory Gap” for the KINDL – Centre for Contemporary Art in Berlin. The exhibition at the Lenbachhaus is based upon this earlier presentation.

Curated by Stephanie Weber

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as a contrast we will also visit the new Beyond the World. The Blue Rider