Currently, 84 exhibits by over four hundred pupils who took part in the ‘Young Art for Hanau’ school competition are on display in the foyer of the Kulturforum. Art teachers and their classes were invited to submit artworks addressing the themes of racism, anti-Semitism, right-wing extremism and other forms of exclusion. There is a wide variety of talented entries – ranging from photographs and prints to sculptures. For SPKmagazin, some pupils have presented their work and the meaning behind it.
“Young Art for Hanau” is part of the nationwide Hanau Day of Action, launched by Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth and the Cultural Integration Initiative. It commemorates the victims of the racially motivated attack in Hanau on 19 February 2020 and sends a message against all forms of racism and exclusion.
From left to right: Olena Zaloga with Claudia Roth and Daryna Lokhiska, Year 6 pupils at the Christian-Rauch-Schule (Bad Arolsen, Hesse), in front of their drawing "Boundless Beauty" (2023, coloured pencil drawing, 42 x 60 cm).
Photo: Jule Roehr / Initiative for Cultural Integration
The drawing by Daryna, a Year 6 pupil at the Christian-Rauch-Schule in Bad Arolsen (Hesse), depicts four young women in traditional dress from different cultures. Daryna is originally from Ukraine, which she was forced to leave as a result of Russia’s war of aggression, and has only been in Germany for five months. Together with her teacher, Olena Zaloga, she talks about her drawing:
“My picture is called ‘Boundless Beauty’. I had the image in mind from quite early on. I spent three days thinking about the best way to draw it, and then I just got started. I’ve always been interested in beautiful women – regardless of their background or appearance. But I’ve also noticed that women are treated unequally and are looked down upon because of their background. In our world, drawing boundaries is outdated – after all, we’re all connected through the internet – and yet it happens every day. We could actually be a global community rather than just going about our own business. Racism is a disease of the past, and we want a future without it.”
Olena Zaloga is delighted that Daryna is taking part in the project: “I teach an integration class with 20 children and always pass on exciting cultural learning opportunities to my pupils. It is very important to me that they too can participate in cultural and political life in Germany. Art and music are particularly effective in fostering integration.”
Hermine Mensching (left) and Sofiia Karaieva stand in front of their artworks (both “Untitled”, 2023, digital collages, 70 x 50 cm) with Year 10 pupils from Ratsgymnasium Stadthagen (Lower Saxony).
Photo: SPK / Killisch
Hermine and her classmate Sofiia are both in Year 10 at the Ratsgymnasium in Stadthagen, near Hanover. Both are talented young graphic designers and have designed two posters.
Hermine’s poster uses photographs of racist and anti-Semitic demonstrations and riots. A sad reality in Germany. “My image is meant to depict today’s world with all its discrimination, anti-Semitism and racism. But in the centre of the image, in the glowing light bulb, are people who are open-minded and diverse. People who are just as they are and do not discriminate against others because of their background. This is meant to show that if we are free to develop ourselves and do not exclude other people, we will shine brighter than hatred.”
Sofiia’s picture also shines in bold colours. She reveals that web designer is her dream job. In her design, she has highlighted the slogan “You are diverse”. For her, this is the core message of her work: “I created my poster as a reminder that each and every one of us is diverse. Every person is a complex and unique jigsaw puzzle made up of many different pieces. Our characteristics, personal experiences, individual talents and interests come together to create a unique personality. We are all different, and it is precisely this diversity that makes our world richer and better. It would be good if we always respected one another and inspired each other to achieve great things.”
Limar Chikh Saaid, pictured here in front of her work "l’unique MOI" (2023, colour photograph, 29.7 x 21 cm), is visiting Year 11 at Schönefeld Grammar School (Brandenburg).
Photo: SPK / Killisch
Limars’ entry is a self-staged photograph with her at the centre. It addresses a topic that is of great personal concern to this Year 11 pupil at Gymnasium Schönefeld (Brandenburg): “At school, we’ve been looking at various forms of discrimination. My topic is Islamophobia. Girls who wear a headscarf here are often perceived by outsiders as unable to lead a normal life or have a normal everyday existence – which, of course, isn’t true. With this image, I want to express that it’s our inner character that matters, not just our outward appearance. The headscarf is part of one’s personality and does not mean that everyone who wears it is the same, whilst only those who do not wear one are individuals. Whether with or without a headscarf, each of us is unique in our own way.”
Background
On 19 February 2020, a racially and far-right motivated attack took place in Hanau. Nine people were killed: Gökhan Gültekin, Sedat Gürbüz, Said Nesar Hashemi, Mercedes Kierpacz, Hamza Kurtović, Vili Viorel Păun, Fatih Saraçoğlu, Ferhat Unvar and Kaloyan Velkov. Six further people were injured. The attack in Hanau is one of the most serious examples of racism and right-wing extremism in Germany.
The exhibition was opened on 13 February 2024 by Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture, Gero Dimter, Vice-President of the SPK, and Gabriele Schulz, Deputy Managing Director of the German Cultural Council, together with Serpil Temiz Unvar, mother of one of the victims and founder of the “Ferhat Unvar Education Initiative”. “Young Art for Hanau” can be viewed in the foyer of the Kulturforum until 28 February 2024.
