Deutsches Historisches Museum: The Tuesday Question, Part VI

11.12.2012

13:06

The Tuesday Question, Part VI

Last week we introduced our online exhibition catalogue (which brought in several interesting comments: Dear Mr. Müller, we will report on how things have been going); this week we present the exhibition poster, specifically its imagery.

What kind of gloves are seen on the poster?

The gloves shown on the poster are an artwork by the young Finish artist, Aurora Reinhard, titled Flowers (2006). The gloves are made of Lycra, with painted artificial finger nails. Flowers is shown in Room 7, ’99 Cent’, which is looks at consumerism and sustainability.

Students from the Macromedia University had previously developed the title concept. The poster design competition was won by Steenbrink Graphic Design, whose idea it was to combine the title with this artwork from the exhibition. The gloves serve as a symbol for the seductive aspect of freedom, with the painted nails representing the dangers which might be connected with the struggle for freedom.

Aurora Reinhard personally installed her object in the exhibition and explained its idea behind it:

‘Thinking about this piece later, I reflected on our world and our society. Everyone wants to be an individual. But this individuality is expressed through clothing, make-up, bags, and such things. And they buy these items from large companies. Most of us shop at H&M or Zara. And everything looks somehow the same. There are not really any differences. That was the thinking behind this object. The gloves and nails differ only in their colour. We want to be individuals on the one hand, and part of the group on the other.’