Christoph Schlingensief (1960–2010) was involved with a range of disciplines – including installation, film, theater, opera, and television – and created provocative works that stirred controversy and challenged the status quo.
Christoph Schlingensief
MoMA PS1 devoted an exhibition to Christoph Schlingensief and his provocative works that stirred controversy and challenged the status quo.
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- 22 March 2014
- New York
His well-known “German trilogy” consisted of the feature films 100 Years of Adolf Hitler (1988–89), The German Chainsaw Massacre (1990), and Terror 2000—Intensive Care Unit Germany (1992). Together, these works approached 20th-century German history in a nonlinear fashion and combined it with the blood and gore of B-movies. Amplifying his critical look at national politics, Schlingensief organized an action during Documenta 1997 in which he carried a banner with the phrase “Kill Helmut Kohl!” which led to his arrest. Additionally, he established the political party Chance 2000 that blurred the lines between politics and theater.
Though Schlingensief’s work provoked strong reactions, it was also strongly rooted in art and culture. He directed plays by Shakespeare and operas by Wagner, and was deeply influenced by Joseph Beuys, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and the Viennese Actionists. Not beholden to any one medium, Schlingensief insisted on moving between genres and disciplines, to such an extent that he sought to establish Opera Village Africa, an institution that included a school, opera, and clinic in Burkina Faso.
until August 2014
Christoph Schlingensief
MoMA PS1
22-25 Jackson Ave. at the intersection of 46th Ave.
Long Island City, NY