Wachsmuth adopts and alienates theatrical forms in order to find out, in the Brechtian sense, how historical narratives can be deconstructed and their unexploited potential for resistance against authoritarian conditions can be uncovered. To this end, he uses chassis, puppets and hand gestures - and last but not least, an evil spirit also has a hand in it.
The exhibition is based on the play Mother Courage and Her Children, one of the most famous anti-war dramas of the 20th century. Bertolt Brecht's legendary work is set in various locations during the Thirty Years' War. The main character is inspired by the"Landstörzerin Courasche" from Hans Jakob Christoffel von Grimmelshausen's picaresque novel Trutz Simplex from the end of the 17th century. Wachsmuth's works reflect the effects of violence and war on people. Violence and power are also addressed in the work entitled Saligia: it is a group of bronze casts of human arms that symbolize the Seven Deadly Sins - Saligia is an acronym composed of the first letters of the sins named in Latin.
February 28 to May 18, 2025
