22 February 2018

Underground und Improvisation. Alternative Music and Art post-1968
Exhibitions, concerts, discussions 15 March to 6 May 2018
Invitation to press preview: Tuesday, 13 March 2018, 1 p.m.

Exhibition hall open from 12.30 p.m.
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10557 Berlin
Registration for the press conference is required: tel.: +49 (0)30 200 571 514 or presse@adk.de

With Markus Müller, curator 'Free Music Production/FMP: The Living Music'
Daniel Muzyczuk, curator 'Notes from the Underground'
Louis Rastig, curator of music programme
Sergej Newski, curator of music programme
Angela Lammert, manager of interdisciplinary special projects for the fine arts section at Akademie der Künste
Presentation: Johannes Odenthal, programme representative, Akademie der Künste

The programme 'Underground und Improvisation' reflects the experimental, anarchistic or avant-garde developments in music in West Berlin and Eastern Europe, from the Prague Spring to the post-Wall era. The Akademie der Künste is presenting these movements for the first time in two large exhibitions and an extensive programme of events.

'Free Music Production/FMP: The Living Music' presents the history of Free Music Production (1968–2010), a Berlin platform set up by artists for the production, presentation and documentation of free music. The Akademie der Künste hosted legendary FMP concerts and events, which have gone down in international history as one of West Berlin's most significant cultural achievements. This exhibition and programme of concerts take this history back to its place of inception, where it will encounter the present day contemporary music scene. An exhibition held in cooperation with Haus der Kunst, Munich und Akademie der Künste, Berlin. Curated by Markus Müller. Sponsored by the federal art foundation and the Goethe Institute.

'Notes from the Underground – Alternative Art and Music in Eastern Europe 1968–1994' presents the work of a generation of artists working at the interface of fine arts, video art and experimental music in Eastern Europe under communist rule. Censorship and shortage brought about inventive and often ironic ways of working that departed from official culture. The exhibition features improvised musical instruments created by the artists themselves, Super-8 films, Samizdat underground publications and documentary records of performances. Many are being shown for the first time since they were created. An exhibition in collaboration with the Sztuki Museum of Art in Łódź, Poland. Curated by David Crowley and Daniel Muzyczuk in cooperation with Angela Lammert.

With reference to the FMP concerts staged there in the past, the musical programme for both exhibitions takes place at Hanseatenweg. Leading figures from those days such as percussion legend Vladimir Tarasov or the FMP co-founder and saxophonist Peter Brötzmann once again take to the stage here. The Eastern European performance scene is also represented with appearances by, amongst others, Katalin Ladik (Hungary) and the band Ornament & Verbrechen. Younger musicians from the international improvisational scene in addition take a stand on the activities and aesthetics of the sixties to the nineties, which includes the young Moscow improvisational scene meeting members of the Berlin Splitter orchestra. Curators: composer Sergej Newski (special field 'Notes from the Underground'), Jazz-Pianist and curator Louis Rastig (special field 'FMP') and Markus Müller.

Closely linked to the concert programme, the programme of discussions focuses on the production methods of counter cultures and the improvisational scene in Eastern Europe and West Berlin. Speakers include Katalin Ladik (Hungary), Jan Ságl (Tschechien), Chris Bohn (Great Britian) and Joanna Stingray (USA). Design: Angela Lammert, Simone Heilgendorff, Markus Müller und Cornelia Klauss In cooperation with the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb.

Underground und Improvisation. Alternative Music and Art post-1968
Exhibitions, concerts, discussions
Exhibition opening: Wednesday, 14 March 2018, 7 p.m., entrance free
with Jeanine Meerapfel, Nele Hertling, Markus Müller, Jarosław Suchan
8.30 p.m. concert by Rüdiger Carl, Sven-Åke Johansson
10 p.m. concert by Vladimir Tarasov
Exhibition: 15 March–6 May 2018, Tue.–Sun. 11 a.m.–7 p.m., open on 30 March, 2 April and 1 May, entrance EUR 9/6, up to 18 years of age and Tuesdays from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. entrance free
Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg 10, 10557 Berlin
Tel. +49 (0)30 200 572 000, info@adk.de

Press contact on behalf of Akademie der Künste: ARTPRESS – Ute Weingarten, Alexandra Saheb, Tel. +49 (0)30 4849 6350, artpress@uteweingarten.de