Exhibition views

Soloshow at Neuland_Projektraum, Bochum
11.08.2023 - 26.08.2023

The exhibition isn‘t it erotic? addresses the contradictory nature of the idealised body aesthetics of the male nude under National Socialism.

The sculptures of National Socialism followed a strict, ideologically charged aesthetic that was strongly characterised by antique, neoclassical and heroic depictions. The staging of naked bodies was particularly striking. In these
sculptures, nudity, as shown in Leni Riefenstahl‘s Olympia, often symbolised purity, strength and national community.
The depiction of the ideal male image had a dual function: it was intended both to convey a political and ideological message and to create an aesthetic fascination that captivated the public. At the same time, this reference contradicts the homoerotic connotations of Greek antiquity.
While Greek art and society cultivated an open admiration of male beauty - often with an erotic component in male friendship and pedagogy - any homoeroticism was strictly rejected and persecuted under National Socialism.
The exhibition explores this paradox by overlaying archive material - such as film sequences from Leni Riefenstahl‘s Olympia and original catalogue pages from the Great German Art Exhibitions in Munich (1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1943) - with the question ‘isn‘t it erotic?’. This reveals an aesthetic contradiction: on the one hand, a visual language that celebrated the naked, flawless male body, and on the other, a political doctrine that branded homosexuality as decadent and reprehensible.

isn't it erotic?, Neuland_Projektraum, Bochum, 2023