Kunsthaus Hamburg (Photo private)
The year 1985 marked a pivotal moment in Hamburg’s art scene, one that continues to resonate today. Under the artist Robert Filliou, the city’s ‘Woche der bildenden Kunst'(Art Week) underwent a transformation, emerging as the ‘Artists in Space and Peace Biennale’. This significant peace-themed biennial, held at the Kunstverein and Kunsthaus Hamburg in December 1985, articulated its mission with the compelling statement: Dem Frieden eine Form geben. Zugehend auf eine Biennale des Friedens / For an Art-of-Peace Biennale.
Now, decades later, the spirit of that unique artistic endeavor is being actively revisited and reimagined. Through an open call launched in October 2024, the project Politics of Love at Kunsthaus Hamburg curated by Dr. Belinda Grace Gardner and Anna Nowak, directly engages with this important legacy of the Art-of-Peace Biennale, initiating a dialogue across time.
By posing the central question, ‘What are politics of love?’, artists both established and emerging were invited to participate by creating a unique mail-art piece in postcard format, sent through the postal system to the Kunsthaus Hamburg. These tangible contributions were available for viewing at the Kunsthaus during the exhibition period (30.11.2024-02.02.2025).
Adding a further layer of connection, each participating artist will, after the exhibition concludes, receive a piece of mail-art from another participant – an exchange echoing the original biennale’s commitment to connection and dialogue.
Kunsthaus Hamburg Politics of Love exhibition (Photo private)
Upon seeing the Open Call on 24th October, I knew I wanted to contribute to this exhibition. For the entire month that followed, the concept of love consumed my thoughts – love, love, love – a seemingly simple word, but what does it truly mean? The fundamental question, what is a politics of love?
The challenge lay in developing a concept that could offer some form of answer. As an artist accustomed to the fluidity and scale of oil paint on canvas, the small postcard format presented a distinct challenge, creating a feeling of constraint. My hope was to formulate an idea that was as straightforward and understandable as possible, despite this unfamiliar constraint.
However, the more I contemplated it, the more complex the notion became.
One day a simple walk through Altona offered an unexpected turning point. Scattered across the pavement were delicate ‘wings’ – the distinctive, paired fruits of the sapindaceae tree. Each fruit, split into two winged segments, hung in a graceful, pendulous form. I took a photo and gathered a few, drawn by their elegant simplicity.
Fruits of sapindaceae tree, Altona (Photo private)
Time was slipping away, the postcard remained blank with barely a week left. The pressure to conceive an idea felt impossible. I thought of giving up altogether.
Yet, three days before the final submission, the memory of those winged seeds resurfaced with a newfound clarity. Suddenly, a concept began to emerge. I envisioned using the organic form of the ‘wings’ as a central motif, weaving in carefully chosen words with a fine liner pen, softened by watercolour.
Rising as One, 2024, Zita Hoi Yin Lauterfeld, watercolor and ink on paper. Kunsthaus Hamburg ‘Politics of Love’ exhibition Open Mail Art (Photo private)
Mail-art, born in the 1960s, involves varied artworks sent by mail, prioritizing dialogue and egalitarian exchange beyond established art systems. Offering an alternative to digital connection in today’s world, this pre-digital network, inspired by Fluxus, initially represented a fluid, global, and collaborative community – a social concept artistically realized through mail art.
The postal system offers the logistical base for a process-driven, real-life art practice where collaboration and exchange outweigh the final artwork.
My visit to the Politics of Love exhibition at Kunsthaus Hamburg in December 2024 was fueled by anticipation to see the mail art contributions. It was truly inspiring to witness the sheer diversity of artistic interpretations exploring the complex theme of ‘Politics of Love’, each postcard a unique visual articulation.
And then, the thrill of discovery – spotting my own contribution amongst them! There’s a unique excitement in knowing you’re a part of something bigger than yourself.
Rising as One, Zita Hoi Yin Lauterfeld, 2024, watercolor and ink on paper. Kunsthaus Hamburg ‘Politics of Love’ exhibition Open Mail Art (Photo private)
To include instead of isolate
To protect instead of exploit
To care instead of ignore
To listen instead of silence
To empower instead of oppress
To hope instead of despair
To unite instead of separate
To inspire instead of control
To give instead of take
To welcome
To connect
To trust
To respect
To heal
How to Turn Your Favourite Fragrance into a Molotov Cocktail, Katja Aufleger, 2024, watercolor and pencil on paper. Kunsthaus Hamburg ‘Politics of Love’ exhibition Open Mail Art (Photo private)
With the exhibition drawing to a close in early February 2025, I found myself eagerly awaiting the reciprocal mail-art exchange. It was with genuine delight that I received a truly creative postcard from Katja Aufleger, an artist working in Berlin.
My involvement in this open call has prompted a deeper reflection on its very nature. Participating means you are a part of it and you give something of yourself, with the quiet hope of finding resonance within the collective.
Photos: Marc Lauterfeld