The Kunsthaus Minsk in Potsdam is showcasing a groundbreaking exhibition titled "Housing Complex: Art and Life in Prefabricated Buildings," featuring 50 works and series by 22 artists who explore the legacy of East Germany's concrete prefabricated housing developments. The exhibition highlights how these standardized residential complexes, known as "Plattenbau," once represented hope for housing-seekers in the German Democratic Republic before becoming symbols of social decline after reunification.
During the GDR era, securing an apartment in a Plattenbau was considered a stroke of luck for residents. These standardized housing complexes, which began construction in 1973 to address the housing shortage in East Germany, offered comprehensive amenities that fulfilled residents' daily needs. The developments included shopping centers (Kaufhallen), daycare centers, schools, youth clubs, and medical clinics (Polikliniken), all surrounded by abundant green spaces that created self-contained communities.
The perception of these concrete housing blocks dramatically shifted after German reunification in 1990. What once symbolized modern living and social progress became associated with urban decay and social problems. Many of these structures were demolished, renovated, or converted, though numerous examples still exist throughout former East Germany. The exhibition at Minsk Art House seeks to reexamine this architectural legacy through the lens of contemporary and historical artistic interpretation.
Among the notable works featured in the exhibition is a 1984 painting by 96-year-old Harald Metzkes, who depicted the construction of Berlin's Marzahn district, showing the buildings seemingly growing organically from mud and decay. Artist Sabine Moritz, 56, who now lives in Cologne, spent her childhood in the Jena-Lobeda housing complex and recalls being happy there. "I didn't know anything else," Moritz said during the exhibition opening. Between 1991 and 1994, after her family moved to West Germany in 1985, Moritz created drawings and paintings of her childhood housing complex from memory.
Berlin-based artist Christian Thoelke, 52, addresses the issue of vacant buildings in his work, depicting a brightly colored but boarded-up shopping center with a wolf prowling around the building. The exhibition also features work by renowned photographer Sibylle Bergemann (1941-2010), whose living room photographs from Berlin's Lichtenberg district capture residents' retreat into private spaces. Additionally, 95-year-old Kurt Dornis painted kitchen views through the characteristic serving hatches that connected kitchens to dining areas.
Curator Kito Nedo explained the extreme standardization of these housing units, noting that apartments were so uniform that electricians could locate electrical outlets with their eyes closed. This standardization became the subject of East German humor, with one popular joke claiming that in Plattenbau complexes, residents never had to ask where the bathroom was located because every apartment had an identical layout.
The "Housing Complex" exhibition runs until September 6, with the Minsk Art House open Monday through Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM. Located at Max-Planck-Strasse 17 in Potsdam, admission costs 10 euros for adults and 8 euros for reduced-price tickets. The exhibition offers visitors a comprehensive look at how artists have interpreted and documented this significant chapter in German architectural and social history.
