Art Collection Telekom ― A Fragile Sense of Hope

The title "Fragile Sense of Hope" expresses the basic mood of an entire re- gion. The fall of the Iron Curtain a little over twenty-five years ago has led to dramatic changes in the structures of everyday life in the societies of Eastern Europe, accompanied by a tenuous sense that a better future is within reach. Ideological systems of value dictated by the state fell apart overnight. Entire generations had to reinvent their lives and aspirations. People must decide what to commemorate and what to reassess. Artists are especially sensitive to the repression of the memory of an entire era. They call the constructions of historiographers in question and create works in which forgetting and remem- bering are central issues. In this book, Deutsche Telekom presents a first survey of selected holdings from its Art Collection Telekom that exemplify the narrative energy of Eastern and Southern Europe's art scenes. The collection, which was established in 2010 and acquires works in all media, including drawings, paintings, photo- graphs, and videos/films, seeks to capture the exciting artistic developments in the countries of Eastern Europe and shed lights on their social and political transformation. The volume showcases seventy works by twenty artists.