The art of action focuses not on the finished work, but on impact, participation and change: a form of activity within the social sphere, carried out together with people. Thus, the Motorenhalle becomes a venue for a golf club. The first international newspaper in Germany (published in Dresden) is on display as a reprint. You can hear the thoughts of young girls when you listen to them seriously. The furnishings of an ice-cream parlour tell the story of how and why it organised a cultural programme for the neighbourhood. Strolls through Schönefeld (Leipzig) are featured in the exhibition. Visitors can discover why a bus also becomes a forum for discussion about a city’s future. The art of action also involves the critical (self-)examination of artistic practice: for which publics do artists work today? And what is their relationship to the structures and power dynamics of the art world? The occasion is the 30th anniversary of the Dresden-based project group REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT, a pioneer of action art. What is on display is not merely a retrospective. Alongside a selection of key works from the last three decades, other artists have been invited to present works whose content

and methodology can be understood as sharing an affinity with REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT. During this anniversary year, further actions by REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT will also take place, in collaboration with other artists and residents, centred on the key question: Can the ‘avalanche of tin’ still be stopped? The focus will be on conflicts over the use of public transport spaces.

Opening 4 September, 8.00 pm

Exhibition dates 4 September–11 October 2026

Artists

Eva Jaekel

feat. Lisa-Maria Beier/ Deborah Geppe/ Anastasiia Linovytska (Dresden)

Kollektiv Plus X (Leipzig)

Krudebude (Leipzig)

Monday Café at the Staatsschauspiel

Dresden with Wanja Saatkamp/ Maike von Harten feat. Ina Weise/ Sophia Mix (Dresden/Leipzig)

Daniel Theiler (Berlin)

REINIGUNGSGESELLSCHAFT (Berlin/Ghana)

feat. Christian Rätsch (Dresden)

feat. Johannes Kiel (Munich)

Curator & project team

Denise Ackermann, Anke Dietrich

Andreas Sommerfeld, Konstantin Fricke, Claudia Harnisch, Steffen Weber