Diamonds and Bars

The quilts of the Amish People living in the US come from the eras of Queen Victoria, the time of Jugendstil and Art Déco, which means, they were created between 1850 and 1940. The quilts, prepared exclusively by women in this strict, Christian religious community, are a diametrical contrast to the concurrent, European-influenced, American art and anticipate the design principles of the modern era far in advance. Abstract motifs and luminous color are varied, combined, and with their precise design patterns, present a deeply traditional branch of textile art. The »discovery« of the quilts took place, remarkably, in the 1960s, at the time of Minimal Art and Concrete Art. Over the past fifteen years, Maria Schlumberger has built up with stringency and passion, one of the world’s highest quality collections on the theme of the Amish quilts—inspired by her partner, Friedrich E. Rentschler’s distinguished contemporary collection FER. After the exhibition at the Pinakothek der Moderne in Munich, the ZKM | Karlsruhe is pleased to have the opportunity to present a selection of 70 pieces from this unique collection at the ZKM | Museum of Contemporary Art.

Andrea Bowers: »The Weight of Relevance«

The AIDS Memorial Quilt is a quilt of enormous dimensions, which is prepared by thousands of people throughout the world to remember the lives of the countless people who have died from AIDS. In her video documentation, the American artist Andrea Bowers focuses on the people who exhibit the »AIDS Memorial Quilt« and supervise the storage room in which this cultural artifact is kept.