Simon Schultz

Starting from the legendary Hamburg “Hammer Blow,” Hamburg-based artist Simon Schultz maps the close entanglement of queer identity, activism, and contemporary history. Until 1980, a police surveillance system in Hamburg public toilets collected names for so-called “pink lists” — until queer resistance smashed the mirrors with a hammer. The performative exhibition, including guided tours and workshops, traces the surveillance scandal of the 1980 “Hamburg mirror affair.” It extends to today’s urgent issues of art, activism, self-censorship, and social media. What was once the policeman behind the mirror has become today’s self-appointed TikTok moral guardians, whose mirror tricks call for new hammers. An explosive form of aesthetic historical research: beware of flying shards!

HAMMERSCHLAG is a walk-in installation that visitors can explore on their own or experience as part of a guided tour. In addition, talks, panels, and workshops will take place in the setting of the installation, linking the history of the surveillance scandal to the present day.

Workshop on Saturday, April 18: Meme the pain away

This workshop explores how memes can be used as creative tools to convey messages in a pointed, humorous, and effective way. Together, we will analyze how memes function in digital communication spaces, develop our own memes, and discuss their potential as tools for activism and educational work. The workshop is aimed at anyone who wants to do more than just consume memes—who wants to use them strategically.

No prior knowledge is required.

Anahita Neghabat, a social anthropologist and artist, heads the Institute for Migration Education in Vienna and works on issues of racism and feminism.