Annahme erwünscht!

Cabinet exhibition at the Center for Artists’ Publications

In 1945, philosopher Karl Popper called for an open society “in which people can breathe freely, think freely, in which each person has his or her value, and, in which society does not exert superfluous constraints on people.” In the 1960s and 1970s, a new generation of artists began to create and reproduce artworks in the form of artists’ books, magazines, newspapers, small mimeographed objects, postcards, graphic posters, and audio cassettes, among other forms. These were sold at small prices or exchanged internationally with fellow artists across all political borders from Eastern Europe to Latin America. Through the mail, an international network was formed through which artists could escape the censorship of their works. The so-called Mail Art came into being. Everyone could participate, no one was excluded, there were no juries and no censorship. Social visions in the sense of Karl Popper manifested themselves in the de-hierarchization and democratization of art. Works from the archives of the Dutch artist Kees Francke, who would have turned 65 this year, are on display, supplemented by works from other archives, thus illustrating the artistic network. A cabinet exhibition in the series “In the Gallery