Past
Medea: controversial archetype of female strength and passion from the East. In the years before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East European writers and painters often turned to ancient mythology to express their discontent with authoritarian rule. Their interpretations of mythological figures like Medea, Cassandra, and Penthesilea were crucial in shaping contemporary images for women, and sometimes they were straight-up punk. Working under the radar of the accepted art establishment, the artists in this exhibition provoked, protested, played with fire, and experimented while refusing socialist and bourgeois stereotypes. The Medea Insurrection was conceptualized and curated by Susanne Altmann for the Albertinum (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden). It has been adapted by the Wende Museum for its Culver City appearance.
The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain is part of Wunderbar Together: The Year of German-American Friendship 2018/19, an initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Exhibition Opening Information
Stas Orlovski’s Running Man transforms the guardhouse from a symbol of surveillance and oppression into a magic lantern where disparate histories merge, intermingle and collide. Orlovski occupies the guardhouse with 3 projected, stop-motion animations that explore themes of loss, memory and migration. Drawing on the structure's Cold War past and its current proximity to Sony Picture Studios, the work references Russian children's books, Soviet era animation, Malevich’s Suprematism, Hans Richter’s experimental films and Eadweard Muybridge’s early motion pictures.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Wende Museum will be postponing all public programs through Sunday, April 5. At this time, the museum and the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain remain open to visitors during regular public hours, Friday–Sunday. We will continue to follow the advice of local public health officials to ensure a safe environment at the Armory campus.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Wende Museum will be postponing all public programs through Sunday, April 5. At this time, the museum and the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain remain open to visitors during regular public hours, Friday–Sunday. We will continue to follow the advice of local public health officials to ensure a safe environment at the Armory campus.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Wende Museum will be postponing all public programs through Sunday, April 5. At this time, the museum and the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain remain open to visitors during regular public hours, Friday–Sunday. We will continue to follow the advice of local public health officials to ensure a safe environment at the Armory campus.
In response to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Wende Museum will be postponing all public programs through Sunday, April 5. At this time, the museum and the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain remain open to visitors during regular public hours, Friday–Sunday. We will continue to follow the advice of local public health officials to ensure a safe environment at the Armory campus.
The twentieth century has seen the devastating effects of a blind belief in ideological blueprints, from fascism and national socialism to “real existing” socialism. But can we survive without utopian ideas? Do we need an inspiring vision and sense of direction to take care of ourselves and our environment? How much dreaming is needed to shape our world?
Nueva Canción: Songs of Protest and Resistance is a new, music-based multimedia event created by Sandra Powers and Timur, and performed by the glam rock band Timur and the Dime Museum. Produced by Beth Morrison Projects, the concert is rooted in the Latin American song movement that began in the 1960s and criticized political oppression and spurred sociopolitical change. These songs told multilayered stories about unequal distribution of wealth, corrupt politics, and abuses of power, evolving from folk to incorporate electronic, classical, and rock influences. Nueva Canción focuses on the songbook of Mercedes Sosa, the driving force behind the movement. In addition, Timur’s memories of being raised under communism and then witnessing the collapse of the Soviet Union will provide a personal perspective on the complexity of political regimes.
As part of the global campaign Art + Feminism, this event is designed to address the inequality of gender, feminism, and the arts on Wikipedia. The Wende Museum’s Wikipedia edit-a-thon will help build a better record of the artists in the current exhibition "The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists behind the Iron Curtain" many of whom do not have Wikipedia pages in English. Wikipedia training for beginners will be provided, along with resources and refreshments. Bring a laptop and join us! People of all gender expressions and identities are encouraged to attend.
In conjunction with the Wikipedia Edit-a-Thon, Dr. France Winddance Twine will speak about women’s rebellion in Eastern Europe during the Cold War, and how that rebellion does and doesn't relate to the feminisms of today. The discussion will be moderated by the Wende’s Visitor Engagement Manager, Juli Sanders, and followed by a Q&A.
Culver City nonprofit leaders came together at the Wende Museum on Wednesday, February 26, 2020 for the first-ever Culver City Nonprofit Convening and the presentation of the inaugural Nonprofit Transformation Prize to The Achievable Foundation. Representatives of the more than 220 nonprofit organizations based in Culver City were invited to the Wende for panel discussions on topics such as the future of philanthropy, staff development, and efforts to achieve diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Experience the virtual reality short film Pērkons: A VR Rockumentary, presented by Fallon. Pērkons: A VR Rockumentary tells the story of how the Latvian rock band Pērkons shook the Soviet establishment with homemade instruments, a 2 KW sound system, and a hard rock sound. The band was banned by the Latvian government twice and many of their fans were arrested. But the harder the authorities tried to silence Pērkons, the more powerful their music became.
Inspired by Latvian and Russian art of the ‘80s (in particular the work of Andris Breže and Ilya Kabakov), the virtual reality film creates an immersive 3D collage that juxtaposes Soviet-era architecture, archival footage, cutouts from 1980s magazines, and a 3D model texture made out of the band’s original sheet music. Viewers will experience the 11-minute film via Oculus GO headsets.
February's Family Day activity is entitled We Could Be Heroes, an all-ages activity to prompt thought around the theme of mythological heroes and heroines, in conjunction with the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain. Using materials such as felt and popsicle sticks, participants will be invited to create their own hero(ine) and accompanying mythological stories. Free and all materials provided.
In conjunction with Culver City Happy Hour, the Wende Museum presents a hilarious and food-filled fantasy directed by Ester Krumbachová, an essential but overlooked figure of the Czechoslovak New Wave. Known for her bold creative vision, she worked as a screenwriter, set designer, and costume designer in collaborations with famed directors Věra Chytilová (Daisies and Fruit of Paradise), Jaromil Jireš (Valerie and Her Week of Wonders), Karel Kachyňa (The Ear), and Jan Němec (A Report on the Partyand The Guests and Diamonds of the Night). Not long after the release of The Killing of Mr. Devil in 1970, she was blacklisted for her work on films deemed subversive.
Chelle Barbour, Lezley Saar, and Sichong Xie, the Los Angeles-based contemporary artists who participate in the exhibition The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain, will speak about the works they selected for the exhibition, how they can be interpreted, and how they relate to specific themes in the artworks from Cold War-era Eastern Europe. The panel will be moderated by the Wende’s Chief Curator and Director of Programming Joes Segal.