In the middle of Chorweiler, in the creative workshop Outline e.V., children, youths and young adults live and experience hiphop and graffiti culture. In this way, they raise their voices, get involved and shape their neighbourhood. In the summer of 2022, the Cologne photographer Damian Zimmermann, who himself comes from Chorweiler, met and photographed almost 50 children and young people from the Outline environment. The results are quiet portraits of mostly introverted people in places that are important to them or where they like to spend time, but which as far as possible do not reproduce the common clichés that people have of the district. At the end of last year, the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln presented Damian Zimmermann's photographs in a multimedia installation, as well as graffiti, texts and music videos that were created or started in the creative workshop as part of outreach political education projects led by Puya Bagheri.
Following on from this successful and highly acclaimed exhibition, Kollwitz's work will now be brought to Chorweiler from 6 June 2023 as part of a collaborative outreach project - with a selection of reproductions made by the young people in the creative workshop juxtaposed with portraits by Damian Zimmermann.
Käthe Kollwitz
For more than 50 years, Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945) lived in a working-class district of Berlin, where she directly encountered the big city life. In numerous portraits, she focuses on the people in her immediate surroundings, concentrating on the essentials of each individual. »I want to have an effect in this time ...« is the aspiration underlying many of Käthe Kollwitz's works. In the post-war years, she uses her art to bring current socio-political problems to the fore. Her poster »Never again war« from 1924 is iconic - an appeal for peace to young people in a time of upheaval. With her art, she took responsibility, committed herself against social injustice, called for community action and solidarity. Throughout her life, she supports and encourages young people in particular to play an active role in shaping their future. Through the seriousness with which she meets the young men and women, she succeeds in maintaining contact with the youth into old age.
Encounters on a level playing field
On several levels, connections can be made between the life and work of the artist and the portrait photographs by Damian Zimmermann and the work of Puya Bagheri with the young people at Outline e.V.. Here, too, an encounter takes place on a level playing field, the portrayed are taken seriously and perceived as individuals, regardless of their origin or social classification. At the same time, they are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves but also for their surroundings.
On the other hand, Kollwitz's themes are so current and present that it is easy for young people today to find access to her art. Together with art educators from the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln, young people from the creative workshop made a selection of works by the artist over a period of several weeks, which are now presented in high-quality reproductions in the exhibition. In addition, some of them will be professionally trained as guides to lead visitors independently through ›their‹ exhibition.
An exhibition of the Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln and Outline e.V., in cooperation with Karl-Arnold-Stiftung e.V. and Stadtteilbibliothek Chorweiler, supported by Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung NRW
Chorweiler District Library
The Chorweiler District Library is located in the District Town Hall, in the middle of the neighbourhood:
CHORWEILER DISTRICT LIBRARY
Pariser Platz 1
50765 Köln
0221 221 96401
www.stadt-koeln.de
Opening hours
Tuesday, Wednesday 12–18 Uhr / Thursday 11–19 Uhr / Friday 10–18 Uhr / Saturday 10–14 Uhr
Closed on Sunday and Monday
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Çağrı, Juni 2022 © Damian Zimmermann)
Khadija, Juli 2022 © Damian Zimmermann)
Imran, Juni 2022 © Damian Zimmermann)
Käthe Kollwitz, Die Mütter, Bl 6 der Folge »Krieg«, 1921–1922, Holzschnitt, Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln
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Käthe Kollwitz, Nie wieder Krieg, Plakat zum Mitteldeutschen Jugendtag in Leipzig 2. – 4. August 1924, Kreide- und Pinsellithographie © Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln
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Käthe Kollwitz, Selbstbildnis en face, 1904, Kreide- und Pinsellithographie, Käthe Kollwitz Museum Köln