Art remains Many*

SHIELD & SHINE – Kampagnenaufruf der Vielen

instagram.com/dievielen

The survey results speak for themselves. The electorate’s trend towards the far right in politics in Germany, Europe, and worldwide is picking up speed again. Populist opinion-making shapes everyday political and public life. We, activists of art and culture, want to take action against these distinctive developments in various forms.

2024 will be a super-election year. Almost half of the world’s population will vote on their future governments. Elections will be held in the UK, the USA and India, and the European Parliament will also be re-elected. In the Federal Republic of Germany, state elections are due in three eastern German states, and local parliaments are being elected in nine federal states. In Berlin, there is a mini-Bundestag election; the 2021 vote will have to be repeated in some districts. Election posters and poster walls will accompany us throughout the year. Ads, improvised and temporary advertising spaces will be full of catchy slogans and likeable, serious portraits of the candidates.

Together with several artists, the initiative wants to develop thematic posters and billboards and bring artistic messages to the public that deal with the election promises of right-wing extremist parties and their content. They want to demand a cosmopolitan and pluralistic society, stand up for a defensive democracy and oppose the culture war of the right and the idea of a guiding culture (Leitkultur).

These materials stand out for their artistic language and unforeseen confrontation with critical questions. They distinguish between the extreme right’s populist messages and its election-defining issues. The motifs are made available to art and cultural institutions nationwide. They are presented and posted in various exhibitions, special areas, and public spaces.

Studio Yukiko is a Berlin-based creative agency specialising in creative and art direction, strategy and graphic design. With their ‘Flaneur’ magazine, the studio likes to engage with the stories of local communities or stay up to date with the latest internet and youth culture with their self-initiated project ‘Sofa’ Studio Yukiko has been recognised by renowned organisations such as D&AD, ADC Germany, TDC New York and the Lead Awards.

Lamm&Kirch is a graphic design studio focused on the design of visual identities, books, and exhibitions in the cultural sector. With a strong background in print production, they focus on the intersection of digital and analogue publishing more broadly. Her approach is characterised by continuous cooperation in changing constellations. They like the old and the new, the obvious and the hidden. Lamm&Kirch’s work has received several awards, including the Chaumont International Poster Festival, 100 Best Posters, the Most Beautiful Swiss Books, the Most Beautiful German Books, the Most Beautiful Books from Around the World and the Walter Tiemann Prize. In 2018, they received the Prize of the Mayor of the City of Brno at the Brno Biennale.

Stefan Marx, born in Schwalmstadt in 1979, is a visual artist who lives and works in Berlin and Hamburg. Marx studied in Hamburg, and his artistic work is characterised by an intensive examination of drawings, which he produces in various media and uses to design record covers, T-shirts, skateboards or magazines. Marx’s work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide, including Hamburger Kunsthalle, Now Idea Gallery in Tokyo, MAMA in Rotterdam and Kasseler Kunstverein.

Anne Duk Hee Jordan is a contemporary German-Korean artist. She is known for her multidisciplinary work, combining elements of art, science and technology. She explores complex topics such as ecology and the relationship between humans and nature in her works. Jordan studied at the University of the Arts in Berlin and the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee. Since 2023, she has held a professorship for new media at the HfG in Karlsruhe. Her work has been shown in numerous international solo and group exhibitions, including at Galerie Levy, Berlin, the Swiss Institute in Los Angeles, the MOMENTA Biennale de L’image in Montreal, and the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.

Raul Walch, born in Frankfurt am Main in 1980, is a contemporary visual artist living and working in Berlin. Walch studied at the Kunsthochschule Berlin-Weißensee and the University of the Arts in Berlin. He works mainly performatively as a researcher, sculptor and conceptual artist. His works are often ephemeral and site-specific interventions that artistically explore and comment on the world. His work has been shown in many international solo and group exhibitions, including the Hamburger Bahnhof – Museum für Gegenwart, the Bundeskunsthalle, the Berlinische Galerie, the Museum of Fine Arts Leipzig, the Urbane Künste Ruhr and the Museum Tinguely.