The invention of the stranger: Art shows the white look in Heidelberg!

The invention of the stranger: Art shows the white look in Heidelberg!

Kurpfälzisches Museum Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Deutschland - The exhibition "The invention of the stranger in art" in the Heidelberg Museum of Palatinate illuminates the European examination of foreign cultures across different epochs. It exposes the supposed representations of the reality of foreign cultures as creative fictions of the artists and shows how the "white look" concept shaped the representations. Works by important international artists that range from the late Middle Ages to the present day illustrate this change and shed light on the effects on the perception of black and oriental people in art history.

The exhibition presents, among other things, the work of the American photographer Maxine Helfman, which in her series "Historical Correction" only depicts People of Color in the style of Flemish portraits. The Nigerian artist Peter Uka also shows in his paintings that critical reflection on black people and their representation is necessary. In addition, the Austrian artist Lisl Ponger addresses colonial exploitation and stereotypical perception of other cultures in her works. In her installation, Turkish Gülsün Karamustafa criticizes the sexualized representation of oriental women in western pictures by editing famous paintings of oriental painters. The exhibition is all about a fundamental change in the consideration of cultural identity and the challenges associated with it.

More details on the exhibition can be found in an article on www.swr.de .