Achtung! Achtung!
The German Lesson
"Don't shoot!" ("Nicht schiessen!"), "Hands up!" ("Hände hoch!"), "Attention! Attention!" ("Achtung! Achtung!") - these are just some of the expressions I remember from my childhood films. My first personal dictionary of the German language was created based on "Czterej Pancerni" and the adventures of Hans Kloss. Anti-German propaganda prevailing in Polish culture is deeply rooted. It was and is still present in the media and in the consciousness of contemporary Poles. Of course, history forces us to reflect on the prevailing stereotypes of the bad German = fascist. Even today, political events present before our eyes the image of a conquering German, returning to his estates or taking over Polish factories and plants.
However, everything has two sides - just as we see Germans, mostly negatively, so they often see us. And the truth lies somewhere in the middle. Not all Germans are Nazis and not all Poles steal cars.
Language is the basic medium of understanding and cognition. Thanks to it, we can communicate and try to overthrow negative connotations, as in the case of our neighbors across the Oder. It is similar with images, although they have a direct effect. Through images, one reaches directly into consciousness and into coded associations. That is why the poster-like and simple form of the images of "German Lesson", which on the one hand resembles the world of children, and on the other hand speaks about a serious topic.
Having lived in Berlin for several years, I had to master the German language in order to communicate freely. Despite the otherness of Berlin, its uniqueness in comparison to other German cities, I initially had problems with acclimatization and a huge inner fear of the specter of Germans - fascists. Seeing older people in the street, I often wondered where they were and what they were doing 60 years ago. What shaped my consciousness, Polish culture, left its mark on the ingrained stereotype of the bad German. It is difficult to get rid of this archetype. In today's world, full of aggression, hatred and intolerance, we need to speak clearly and directly about what hurts in order to get rid of unnecessary prejudices.
Anna Krenz, 2007
"Anna Krenz's works are characterized by a perverse sense of humor and a certain irony. There are few artists who can observe the surrounding reality so accurately and relate to it in such an uncompromising way. Anna Krenz observes, analyzes and processes a world that often remains beyond the reach of our perception. In the work "German Lesson" she once again combines deep content with images bordering on kitsch in her work, in order to emphasize their seriousness in ... a way."
Ruth Rosenberg
PLACEBO
Less/is/more/less
Anna Krenz
Project exhibited at the Kunstinvasion, in Blumengrossmarkt/Berliner Kunsthalle, Berlin, 2008
One building, two signs, three chairs
The idea of PLACEBO is to borrow: the space, the artwork, and seats, and to put them in a new context. As Blumengroßmarkt was used as a market hall, it now becomes a new function – it is a temporary art space. Same building, new use – this creates a new quality for the building and the surroundings. Therefore I have decided to use two other elements which belonged to different situations. First: two large pink banners with an inscription: “Achtung! Achtung!” and second: three pink blow-up chairs.
The Signs
“Achtung! Achtung!” sign is part of a project “German Lesson”. It is one of first German words which I have learned as a child. The expression “Achtung! Achtung!” was often used in Polish propaganda movies about the World War 2. “Achtung! Achtung!” sign is borrowed from a different project to create a different artwork and to evoke different associations in a new situation. However in a new context “Achtung! Achtung!” becomes a new meaning. In German “Achtung” means: respect, regard as well as a warning. It is a warning but also an invitation to Blumengroßmarkt, turned into an art space. Large scale sign provokes to take notice of the space, of the art which is there for two days and of the context of Kunstinvasion. Being “only” a sign, it allows for paying attention to attention (sign). It also motivates people to imagine, to rethink and to create their own thoughts, also about the issues of the contemporary art gallery (Kunstinvasion).
“Less/is/more/less” is also borrowed. Mies van der Rohe’s famous sentence is however changed to point the architectural context of the building - the temporary and not accurate use of it, more or less as an art space. It is also a provocation for a discussion about the contemporary art space.
The Chairs
People, who come to the Blumengroßmarkt during the show, were be able to sit back and contemplate not only the exhibition, the building, but mainly the sign itself, as such. The audience was be provided with three pink air-puffs, which I got from Tesla as a gift, while the Transmediale team was emptying the basement in the building of Tesla. These chairs belonged to a different project, now they will be part of the installation at the Kunstinvasion. The chairs are to be placed in front of the “Achtung! Achtung!” signs.
PLACEBO
Less/is/more/less
Anna Krenz
Project exhibited at the Kunstinvasion, in Blumengrossmarkt/Berliner Kunsthalle, Berlin, 2008
One building, two signs, three chairs
The idea of PLACEBO is to borrow: the space, the artwork, and seats, and to put them in a new context. As Blumengroßmarkt was used as a market hall, it now becomes a new function – it is a temporary art space. Same building, new use – this creates a new quality for the building and the surroundings. Therefore I have decided to use two other elements which belonged to different situations. First: two large pink banners with an inscription: “Achtung! Achtung!” and second: three pink blow-up chairs.
The Signs
“Achtung! Achtung!” sign is part of a project “German Lesson”. It is one of first German words which I have learned as a child. The expression “Achtung! Achtung!” was often used in Polish propaganda movies about the World War 2. “Achtung! Achtung!” sign is borrowed from a different project to create a different artwork and to evoke different associations in a new situation. However in a new context “Achtung! Achtung!” becomes a new meaning. In German “Achtung” means: respect, regard as well as a warning. It is a warning but also an invitation to Blumengroßmarkt, turned into an art space. Large scale sign provokes to take notice of the space, of the art which is there for two days and of the context of Kunstinvasion. Being “only” a sign, it allows for paying attention to attention (sign). It also motivates people to imagine, to rethink and to create their own thoughts, also about the issues of the contemporary art gallery (Kunstinvasion).
“Less/is/more/less” is also borrowed. Mies van der Rohe’s famous sentence is however changed to point the architectural context of the building - the temporary and not accurate use of it, more or less as an art space. It is also a provocation for a discussion about the contemporary art space.
The Chairs
People, who come to the Blumengroßmarkt during the show, were be able to sit back and contemplate not only the exhibition, the building, but mainly the sign itself, as such. The audience was be provided with three pink air-puffs, which I got from Tesla as a gift, while the Transmediale team was emptying the basement in the building of Tesla. These chairs belonged to a different project, now they will be part of the installation at the Kunstinvasion. The chairs are to be placed in front of the “Achtung! Achtung!” signs.
Partisan beyond borders
28.11.2020, Warschauer Brücke
In many artistic and especially activist activities I refer to my previous artistic works. I transform many of them and give them a new context and meaning.
On the 102nd anniversary of the Polish women winning their election rights… we took over the streets, screaming and dancing. Inspired by the song “Partisan” by Polish singer SIKSA, which was danced and shouted in a Polish town Gniezno, we passed the dance on through many cities, and we danced and sang together to express our determination.
Event organised by Dziewuchy Berlin >>>
Photo: Maciej Soja
Project exhibited:
Awangarda BWA Galleries, Wrocław, Poland, 2007
1. Internationale Push-Art Berlin (Patin: Tanja Dückers), Volksbühne, Berlin, Germany, 2007
Kunstinvasion Exhibition, Blumengrossmarkt/Berliner Kunsthalle, Berlin, 2008
„Recycling the Iron Curtain“, Kuhlhaus Berlin, 2011
Demonstrations in Berlin, 2020