Uncanny, surreal and a little absurd: this is how many perceive Kafka's works, which have dug their claws deep into the literary history of the 20th century. He describes a "monstrous world" that he has in his head and asks himself: "But how to free myself and free it without tearing it apart. And I would a thousand times rather tear it apart than keep it inside me or bury it."
Like the quote above, many of his texts bear witness to the inner turmoil and restlessness that still appeals to and fascinates many people today in a unique way. To mark the 100th anniversary of his death, the Villa Stuck in Munich has set itself the task of making his work tangible in a special way with the exhibition "Kafka: 1924".
You don't have to be a big Kafka fan to understand what it's all about. Visitors are accompanied by excerpts from the classic comic "Kafka for Beginners" by Robert Crumb and David Zane Mairowitz, which provide a very accessible introduction to the literature in German and English, thus enabling a low-threshold introduction. The exhibition then takes up the content one after the other using multimedia. Artists such as Andreas Gursky, Alfred Kubin, Ida Applebroog and many more take a stand on Kafka's world-famous works with multifaceted artistic explorations that inspire everyone to reflect in their own individual way.
From paintings and complex machine constructions to interactive installations, everything is represented here that is capable of guiding visitors through Kafka's abstract, dark and grotesque inner world. This is effortlessly demonstrated: It is by no means just a reminder of another century, as the captivating topicality of the themes covered invites new interpretations and perspectives. This makes the exhibition worth seeing not only for those interested in literature.
Further information about the exhibition can be found on the Villa Stuck website.
You can always find new events and exhibitions on the subject of design in our events section.
Text: Johanna Schmees
Header image: David Claerbout, Shadow Piece, 2005, Courtesy the artist and galleries Rüdiger Schöttle, and Esther Schipper © VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2023