James Gregory Atkinson

6 Friedberg–Chicago, the first institutional solo-exhibition by the German-American artist James Gregory Atkinson, illuminates a neglected part of Afro-American-German history on personal, social and political levels. The exhibition presents the artist’s new same-titled film, which he shot in the Ray Barracks, a former US Army base in Friedberg. It was made in collaboration with the dancer and choreographer Josh Johnson and the harpist and singer Ahya Simone.

The exhibition also presents a non-linear archive exploring the history of black soldiers in Germany and that of their children, compiled with Eric Otieno (sociologist and political scientist) and Mearg Negusse (art historian).

At the end of the presentation a catalogue will by published by Spector Books (part of the 2020 Catalogue for Young Artists Award from the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation).

James Gregory Atkinson (*1981 in Bad Nauheim) studied with Douglas Gordon at the Städelschule, Frankfurt, and has received scholarships and artist residencies from the Villa Aurora, Los Angeles (2016), and the Jan Van Eyck Akademie, Maastricht (2017), and a studio grant for New York from the Hessische Kulturstiftung (2018).

Further Reading:
Stanton Taylor in Frieze: James Gregory Atkinson's Alternative Archive of Anti-Black Propaganda, 14.01.2022
Stella Baßenhoff in gallerytalk.net: Leerstellen im kollektiven Gedächtnis, 05.02.2022
Gürsoy Doğtaş in Süddeutsche Zeitung: An der Zeit, 17.02.2022
Paula Kommoss in Passavant: What time is Chicago?, 23.02.2022 

PROGRAM

Free admission to all events - registration by email required: visit(et)dortmunder-kunstverein.de

SAT, 11 DECEMBER, 5 PM-2 PM
SOFT OPENING

THURS, 3 FEBRUARY, 7-8:30 PM
KLEINER FREITAG*
LA DERNIÈRE SÉANCE #16
7 PM: Guided tour of the exhibition at the Kunstverein
7:45 PM: Film screening at the Kino im Dortmunder U, compiled by James Gregory Atkinson.
1 Berlin - Harlem, DE, 1974 (100 min)

SAT, 26 FEBRUARY, 9 PM
SUN, 27 FEBRUARY, 5 PM
SLOW READING CLUB
with Bryana Fritz (USA/BEL) and Henry Andersen (AUS/BEL)
for German or English speaking audiences
The Slow Reading Club's moderated, open reading sessions create a collective experience: lighting mood, sound, interventions and a special spatial setting are used to create artificial situations in which people read together. The literary and philosophical texts are coordinated with the themes of the current exhibition at the Kunstverein and are a shared physical experience that remains in the memory.

SUN, 06 MARCH, 8 PM
ONLINE ARTIST TALK
with James Gregory Atkinson and Alexander Weheliye 
in cooperation with Villa Aurora, L.A., as part of Dortmund Goes Black.

TUE, 10 MARCH, 7 PM
KLEINER FREITAG*
LA DERNIÈRE SÉANCE #17
7 PM: Guided tour of the exhibition at the Kunstverein
7:45 PM: Film screening at the Kino im Dortmunder U, compiled by James Gregory Atkinson
(1) Toxi lebt anders, DE, 1957 (26 Min)
(2) Deutsche sind weiß. N* können keine Deutschen sein, DE, 1986 (46 Min)

SUN, 13 MARCH, 4 PM
FINISSAGE
Exhibition talk with James Gregory Atkinson, Mearg Negusse (art historian, Frankfurt), Eric Otieno (political scientist, University of Kassel), moderated by Rebekka Seubert

12 TO 15 MAY
DORTMUND GOES BLACK FESTIVAL
In the course of the cross-institutional project Dortmund Goes Black, an initiative of Dortmunder Kunstverein, Schauspiel Dortmund, Dietrich-Keuning-Haus and Internationales Frauen*Film Fest Dortmund + Köln.

SAT, 14 MAY, 6 PM
CATALOGUE RELEASE
6 Friedberg-Chicago, Spector Books, 2022

* Every Thursday from 7 p.m. onwards, varied events take place at different locations in and around the Dortmunder U.

Kindly supported by

the special program is supported by

the film production is supported by

In cooperation with

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