Franz Kafka (Prague 1883-1924 Kierling, Austria) is one of the most important writers of the 20th century. The topicality of his texts remains unbroken to this day - probably also because they deal with timeless aspects of the human condition such as guilt and innocence, power and powerlessness or punishment and redemption.
In the year of the 100th anniversary of Kafka's death, the exhibition takes a closer look at his texts using representations from the visual arts. Scenes from world-famous works such as "The Trial", "The Metamorphosis" or "In the Penal Colony" can be found here in various interpretations. The graphic collection of the Kunstforum Ostdeutsche Galerie offers plenty of examples.
Hans Fronius (1903-1988) worked on all of Kafka's major texts for over five decades. Around 50 of his illustrations will be on display in the exhibition. Wolfgang Bier (1943- 1998) was fascinated by the story "In the Penal Colony". He deliberately used material and technique to convey meaning. The book artist Svato Zapletal (*1946) and Peter Grau (1928-2016), who was also inspired by narrative fragments from Kafka's diaries, also produced impressive adaptations of the literary source material.
Listening to, reading and drawing Kafka
There are several opportunities in the exhibition to immerse yourself in Kafka's texts in view of the illustrations. Three audio stations are equipped with selected audio texts, which can be made available thanks to the cooperation with Bayerischer Rundfunk. An entertaining summary of the story "The Metamorphosis" is provided by a film from the "Summer's World Literature to Go" project, which uses Playmobil figures to bring key texts from world literature to life. In the foyer, visitors have the opportunity to get creative themselves. Materials are available here that can be used to transfer Kafka quotes into your own pictures.
The exhibition and accompanying events at the KOG are part of the comprehensive program for the Kafka Year compiled on the German-Czech platform "Kafka 2024".
This content has been machine translated.