Kunstsammlungen am Theaterplatz
20. Feb 2025 – 15. Feb 2026

Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch

Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch
Künstlerische Freiräume in Karl-Marx-Stadt

In opposition to the official cultural scene in the GDR, a hotspot of the alternative art scene developed in Karl-Marx-Stadt (Chemnitz) in the early 1970s. With the Galerie Oben and the artists’ group Clara Mosch (1977–1982), which also ran an artists’ cooperative gallery, the city had two institutions that attracted art lovers from all over the country with their unconventional exhibition programme, actions and events. At the same time, these venues served as platforms for artists who were not recognised as such by the state. It was here that they were given their first exhibition opportunities within the unofficial scene.

The exhibition uses many original documents, photographs, posters, postcards and letters to tell the story of the two galleries and bring them back to life. Changing monthly presentations introduce artists who were present at the gallery between 1973 and 1990, allowing visitors to experience a wide range of artistic trends from this period. In addition, the so-called »Wednesday Events« at Galerie Oben will be revived in the form of artist talks, lectures, readings and film screenings, inviting visitors to engage in a dialogue with the artists of the period.

Gallery

Michael Morgner, Thomas Ranft, Wolfgang E. Biedermann, Steffen Volmer, Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf) u. a., Tripel-Spiegel, Pleinair Kolkwitz-Rudolstadt, 1986, © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2025
Michael Morgner, Thomas Ranft, Wolfgang E. Biedermann, Steffen Volmer, Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf) u. a.
Tripel-Spiegel, Pleinair Kolkwitz-Rudolstadt, 1986
Ralf-Rainer Wasse, Clara Mosch, Thomas Ranft, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Carlfriedrich Claus, Michael Morgner, o. J., © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse
Ralf-Rainer Wasse
Clara Mosch, Thomas Ranft, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Carlfriedrich Claus, Michael Morgner, o. J.
Thomas Ranft, Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf), Plattenweg, Pleinair Hiddensee, 1975, © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2025
Thomas Ranft, Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf)
Plattenweg, Pleinair Hiddensee, 1975
Thomas Ranft, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf), Aktion Glatzköpfe, Berghäusler Abend in der Galerie Oben, 1981, © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2025
Thomas Ranft, Gregor-Torsten Schade (Kozik), Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf)
Aktion Glatzköpfe, Berghäusler Abend in der Galerie Oben, 1981
Hartwig Ebersbach, Burkhardt Glaetzner, Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf), Der Tod des Einzelnen, Performance in der Galerie Oben, 1982, © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse © VG Bild-Kunst Bonn, 2025
Hartwig Ebersbach, Burkhardt Glaetzner, Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf)
Der Tod des Einzelnen, Performance in der Galerie Oben, 1982
Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf), Auktion in der Galerie Oben, o. J., © Lindenau-Museum Altenburg / Archiv Ralf-Rainer Wasse
Ralf-Rainer Wasse (Fotograf)
Auktion in der Galerie Oben, o. J.
Ernst Goldberg (Fotograf), Gespräch mit Carlfriedrich Claus und Rudolf Mayer in der Galerie Oben (Ausschnitt), 1984, Kontaktbogen, Kunstsammlungen Chemnitz, Stiftung Carlfriedrich Claus Archiv © Ernst Goldberg
Ernst Goldberg (Fotograf)
Gespräch mit Carlfriedrich Claus und Rudolf Mayer in der Galerie Oben (Ausschnitt), 1984

Dates Galerie Oben and Clara Mosch

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