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The Kunstbibliothek presents Cracked up and burnt down, Fireworks art from five centuries from 8 November 2024 to 9 February 2025 at the Kulturforum. Fireworks are an art of the moment, of which nothing remains but fond memories and a lot of rubbish. For centuries, it was the most brutal and expensive art form of all. Today we know that the waste and ecological madness behind the beautiful moment are not sustainable. But what do we know about the development of firework art, its strongholds, its media and political significance? And what does the future of this art form look like? In the exhibition ‘Durchgeknallt und abgebrannt’, the Kunstbibliothek is looking for answers together with its collection objects, contemporary artists, the public and actors from science and environmental protection.
The exhibition begins with a look at the global history of fireworks and then focuses on the European courts of absolutism as hotspots where fireworks could unfold across the entire spectrum between genius and madness. The protagonists from Versailles, Vienna, Munich and Dresden outdid each other with martial seriousness, stately claims to representation and media-effective waste of resources. The copper engravings on display bear witness to a protechnical arms race between the courts. Peace resolutions, anniversaries, declarations …
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Image above: Aenne Biermann, Feuerwerk, Fotografie, 1928 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kunstbibliothek / Dietmar Katz
