ALEXANDER KLUGE: MINUTENFILME #4

This year-long, rotating exhibition presents five sequential constellations of eight films each by the eminent German director Alexander Kluge. Compiled by Kluge especially for this occasion, these presentations feature selections of recent Minutenfilme – short, hybrid films that typically run from one to eight minutes each. Ranging from the theoretical to the operatic, from the cosmic to the mathematical, Kluge offers an often ironic yet candid social commentary on historical and contemporary events.
In his Minutenfilme, Alexander Kluge has developed a single-minded way of filmmaking in which complex ideas are condensed into a few minutes. To achieve this, the director uses highly idiosyncratic ways of editing in which a plethora of images and sounds are brought together from a wide variety of sources and collaborators. In so doing, Kluge imagines an active role for the viewer: “The viewers are the medium, what they cannot imagine neither can exist in the medium.”

This exhibition is organised in cooperation with Literaturhaus Berlin and Argos Centre for Audiovisual Arts.

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Alexander Kluge, born in 1932 in Halberstadt, is an author, filmmaker and television producer. A contemporary of Adorno, Habermas and Fassbinder, he is seen as a practical and theoretical visionary of modern German film, putting social and political criticism at the heart of his work. His most important films, for which he has received awards at Venice, Cannes and elsewhere, include Abschied von gestern (Yesterday Girl) (1966), Deutschland im Herbst (Germany in Autumn) (1977, Episode) and Der Angriff der Gegenwart auf die übrige Zeit (The Assault of the Present on the Rest of Time) (1985). In addition to his films, Kluge publishes narrative stories and essays. He founded the production company dctp.tv and produces independent cultural programmes. He was awarded the Georg Büchner Prize in 2003 for his lifetime’s work.

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Minutenfilme #4:

Zwei Schlangen in der Sonne (Two Serpents in the Sun) (2020) 03:33

Die Griechen verbrennen Troja (The Greeks Are Burning Down Troy) (2021) 04:06

„Die Bibliothek von Alexandria brennt…“ („The Library of Alexandria is Burning …") (2020) 02:05

Regeln für das Weinen (Rules for Crying) (2019) 03:44

Electric Circus (Electric Circus) (2018) 07:50

Eule der Minerva (Minerva’s Owl) (2020) 02:55

Der Stolz des Westens endet an befestigten Grenzen (The Pride of the West Ends at its Fortified Borders) (2018) 02:43

Der Glücksfaktor „Mutter bringt Futter“ (The Happiness Factor 'Mother Brings Food') (2020) 03:05