Artpool’s four-day study trip in Bremen

Exhibition and symposium organised by the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen

The Artpool team in Bremen: Anna Szirmai, Júlia Klaniczay, Dóra Halasi, Kristóf Nagy and Viktor Kotun

Two institutions of outstanding importance in regard to the profile and activity of Artpool’s collection as well as internationally can be found in Bremen. Learning about their collection management, processing and administration practices provide important hands-on experience for the ongoing process of Artpool becoming an institution itself. These two institutions in Bremen have been Artpool’s important professional partners for quite some time.
The study trip undertaken by Artpool’s five members (Júlia Klaniczay, Dóra Halasi, Viktor Kótun, Kristóf Nagy and Anna Szirmai) and the personal meetings was a great opportunity to think about possible future research projects.

1. Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen / Centre for Artists’ Publications

The Centre for Artists’ Publication, which operates as part of the Neues Museum Weserburg in Bremen, was established in 1999 with the purchase of the collection of the Archive for Small Press & Communication, founded in 1974 by Guy Schraenen (who has had a great professional relationship with Artpool since the beginning as well as several collaborative projects).
The centre now preserves, researches, scientifically processes and makes publicly available some 1,300 running metres of material of 80 collections / estates (including the collection of Géza Perneczky). It has organised numerous important exhibitions and events (conferences and workshops) linked to artists’ publications (artists’ books, artists’ periodicals, artistamps, Mail Art works, films, videos, artists’ records and multimedia publications). In 2010 it published the Manual for Artists’ Publications (MAP): Cataloging Rules, Definitions, and Descriptions to provide guidelines for the museum processing of artists’ books.

During our visit Anne Thurmann-Jajes, the head of the centre, as well as Bettina Brach and other staff members introduced us to the operation of the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen, the organisation of the collections, the principles of digitalisation and database processing, as well as to their acid-free storage solutions and their protocol of receiving researchers.

The storage, research and processing/digitalisation spaces of the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen / Centre for Artists’ Publications in the Neues Museum Weserburg in Bremen

We were shown Géza Perneczky’s Soft Geometry archive, which (sadly for Hungarian researchers) Perneczky bequeathed to the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen in 2014 and which was installed in Bremen in its original form, using the shelving system invented and carpentered by Perneczky. In the 1970s and 1980s Perneczky regularly visited the then illegal Artpool and we conducted an intense exchange, so the Soft Geometry archive in Bremen contains almost all of the important documents of our activity at the time as well as numerous Mail Art works by György Galántai.

Géza Perneczky’s collection in the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen

2. Forschungsstelle Osteuropa (FSO) / Research Centre for East European Studies

The research institute operating as part of the University of Bremen was established in 1982 with the aim of collecting, researching, processing and publishing the documents of Eastern European alternative thinking and social movements (first director: Dr. Wolfgang Eichwede). After a few years the institute became the most important place for collecting the above documents and an intellectual haven for those thinking differently from the mainstream behind the Iron Curtain. Its collection contains Eastern European samizdat publications and numerous art documents too. Klaus Groh’s collection, also preserved here, has relevance in a Hungarian context too, for example thanks to the large number of works by Attalai. Artpool has been a long-standing partner with the institution in several projects, which included the exhibition titled Samizdat. Alternative Cultures in Central and Eastern Europe 1956–1989 (Berlin, Akademie der Künste, 2000 / Prague, Národní muzeum, 2002 / Brussels, European Parliament 2002 / Budapest, Millenáris Park 2004) and the publication by Heidrun Hamersky (ed.) titled Gegenansichten. Fotografien zur politischen und kulturellen Opposition in Ost(mittel)europa. 1956–1989 (Berlin, 2005). During our visit to the research institute Manuela Putz and Karina Garsztecka introduced us to the archive, and then we had talks with Susanne Schattenberg, the director of FSO, about future possibilities for cooperation between Artpool and FSO.

Visit in FSO

Artpool: Aktives Archiv zeitgenössischer Kunst in Ungarn (exhibition)

The material of the dossier exhibition featuring Artpool’s documents was compiled using the archive of the Studienzentrum für Künstlerpublikationen and partly comprised György Galántai’s Mail Art works sent to Guy Schraenen and the audio cassettes of Artpool Radio (which could be listened to through headphones). They entered the collection partly through the exchange between Artpool and the Centre for Artists’ Publications. We were surprised at the extensive collection. Artpool contributed a copy of each one of their invitations to the exhibition as well as a video documenting various Artpool projects.

János Nádasdy - Júlia Klaniczay

Anne Thurmann-Jajes opening the exhibition.
The rest of the photos show the preparations made for the exhibition, as well as snapshots from the opening and the exhibition.

We were happy to welcome János Nádasdy, one of our old network friends from Hannover, at the opening.

Artpool: Aktives Archiv zeitgenössischer Kunst in Ungarn (symposium)

Júlia Klaniczay and Isabelle Schwarz in front of the opening image of the first presentation

Júlia Klaniczay

Viktor Kotun

Anna Szirmai

Kristóf Nagy

Dóra Halasi

Isabelle Schwarz

Presenters at the symposium - Júlia Klaniczay - Viktor Kotun - Anna Szirmai - Kristóf Nagy - Dóra Halasi - Isabelle Schwarz