How could one deal artistically and critically with the colonial history of the city around the Bismarck monument in Hamburg? Artists from all over the world should ask themselves this question in the coming weeks. The artistic competition to deal with the Bismarck monument begins in mid-January, as Hamburg’s Senator for Culture Carsten Brosda (SPD) told the German Press Agency.
“It’s about the question of which artistic intervention is made possible, which is a different form of perception and also the refraction of perception.” This is linked to the fact that part of the story is also dealt with beyond the museum-related discourses. “This could be a very exciting project.”
The tender documents of the Hamburg Historical Museums Foundation are also written in English, French, Arabic and Spanish in order to be able to address international artists with the competition. The documents should be submitted by the end of February. A jury will decide who advances by the end of May. “The first results should be available in the summer,” Brosda said. The winning design will receive 15,000 euros in prize money.
The 34 meter high building has been a listed building since 1960. According to the Hamburg-Mitte district office, it is currently being renovated. According to a spokeswoman, the work should last until about the second quarter of 2023.
According to Brosda, the competition for the Bismarck monument is currently the city’s most tangible process of dealing with colonial heritage. By mid-December, the city had returned to Nigeria the first Benin bronzes, most of which were stolen from the former Kingdom of Benin by British soldiers in 1897 and later sold. Hamburg has 179 of these bronzes, all of which now belong back to Nigeria. Two thirds of them should also find their way back to Africa, the rest may remain on permanent loan in the Museum am Rothenbaum (MARKK).
The city will also continue to deal with the topic of colonialism, Brosda said. “There are many more points that have something to do with the question: ‘How do we deal with colonialism in terms of culture of remembrance? How do we react to this when, of course, we haven’t actually reacted at all for many decades? That doesn’t work anymore. It is rightly claimed.”
This does not have to be laid over all relevant debates in the city as a foil. “But whenever we are dealing with colonial testimonies that have so far continued to glorify colonialism, we have a responsibility to ask ourselves whether we really want to leave it as it is in the public space of our city in the 21st century.”
Announcement by the Hamburg Historical Museums Foundation Information on the “Decolonize Hamburg!”
