It was a with great pleasure that the Youth Ambassadors (along with colleagues of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Switzerland) accepted an invitation by art historian Dr. Kerstin Bitar for an exclusive tour of the exhibition “Schall und Rauch – die wilden Zwanziger” at the Kunsthaus Zürich.
The 1920’s are not called “Roaring twenties” for nothing: the end of a world war, the Spanish flue ranging through Europe and a strong wave in emancipation of women are only a few examples of what was happening at the time. These trends – or one may even call them revolutions – are mirrored in the art that was being created at the time. This led to some impressive artworks by for example Hannah Höch, Christian Schad and Fernand Léger, that the Youth Ambassadors were able to admire in this exhibition.
The best parts were the insights that Dr. Bitar gave the Youth Ambassadors into this time, it’s art and also some of the brave icons of the 1920s such as Josephine Baker and Coco Chanel.
Cinzia d’Adamo, co-president of the Youth Ambassadors summons it up greatly: “Very quickly we were able to spot parallels regarding human rights between the 1920s and the present – for better or for worse. Just like a 100 years ago, our world is torn by economic crisis and a global pandemic which are bringing suffering to many. On the other hand we can see hope and a need for change which can be compared to the “Golden Age Twenties”. Just like a 100 years ago, our world is experiencing drastic changes. The connection to the present was highlighted with our brief tour of Kader Attia’s exhibition “Remembering the future”, which tackles topics such as the current refugee crisis as well as the relation between postcolonial Africa and the Western world.”
Kader Attia was born to Algerin parents in Paris, in 1970 and his art deals mostly with Europe’s colonial past. The exhibition “Remembering the Future” can be seen in the Kunsthaus Zürich. An impressive moment during the tour was when the Youth Ambassadors were shown a room with blue clothes on the floor. Dr. Bitar asked what they reminded them off? And immediately the sea was mentioned. Indeed: the clothes represented the European migrant crisis of 2015, when so many people tried to reach Europe by the Mediterranean Sea.
Cinzia concludes on a high note: “Not only did the visit show us many parallels between the past and present and spark interesting thoughts and conversations, it was also a very pleasant opportunity to spend an afternoon together in times of social distancing and innumerous zoom meetings. Most importantly we were reminded of one of art’s most important lessons: that it is a mirror of the times it was created in.”