NO PUNK. NO FUTURE.
Exhibition |A transatlantic exhibition tracing 50 years of punk between Kiel and San Francisco.
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Goethe-Institut San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
- Language English
- Price Free and open to the public
Fifty years after punk declared itself against everything and everyone, eight Goethe-Instituts across the United States and Mexico come together for Alle gegen Alles: Punk@50—a three-month transatlantic program of exhibitions, concerts, films, and conversations asking what punk means now. In San Francisco, the project brings the punk history of Kiel, Germany, into dialogue with the Bay Area, connecting two scenes shaped by self-expression, nonconformity, DIY culture, and a refusal to conform.
The exhibition takes its starting point from Kein Kiel, an exhibition developed by the Kunsthalle zu Kiel with co-curator Andy A. Schwarz, member of the seminal post-punk band NO MORE. Central to the exhibition is a series of photographs by the late Helmut Kunde documenting the Kiel punk scene. These are presented alongside archival materials from Kiel, including album and poster reproductions, as well as materials from the San Francisco Bay Area: excerpts from the 1985 tour diary of Cecilia Kuhn, drummer of the feminist punk band Frightwig, documenting the band's tour through Germany; German record covers and albums; and original albums featuring artwork by the revered artist and graphic designer Winston Smith, who created the iconic Dead Kennedys logo and artwork for numerous releases by the band. Rather than attempting to document the full and complex history of 50 years of punk, the exhibition brings these materials together to trace the people, music, images, and networks that connected punk communities across the Atlantic while highlighting the distinct histories of Kiel and San Francisco.
Exhibition Opening
The exhibition opens on September 10 with a conversation between Andy A. Schwarz and Tina Sanudakura of the seminal Kiel post-punk band NO MORE and San Francisco writer and punk historian Jack Boulware, author of Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day.
The exhibition is part of a wider San Francisco program featuring Berlin garage-punk duo CAVA, concerts, films, and conversations throughout the fall. Across eight cities and two continents, Alle gegen Alles: Punk@50 considers punk not simply as a historical music movement, but as an enduring cultural force—one that continues to shape visual art, music, publishing, activism, community, and independent creative practice.
Visiting Hours
Tuesday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., or by appointment
The exhibition takes its starting point from Kein Kiel, an exhibition developed by the Kunsthalle zu Kiel with co-curator Andy A. Schwarz, member of the seminal post-punk band NO MORE. Central to the exhibition is a series of photographs by the late Helmut Kunde documenting the Kiel punk scene. These are presented alongside archival materials from Kiel, including album and poster reproductions, as well as materials from the San Francisco Bay Area: excerpts from the 1985 tour diary of Cecilia Kuhn, drummer of the feminist punk band Frightwig, documenting the band's tour through Germany; German record covers and albums; and original albums featuring artwork by the revered artist and graphic designer Winston Smith, who created the iconic Dead Kennedys logo and artwork for numerous releases by the band. Rather than attempting to document the full and complex history of 50 years of punk, the exhibition brings these materials together to trace the people, music, images, and networks that connected punk communities across the Atlantic while highlighting the distinct histories of Kiel and San Francisco.
Exhibition Opening
The exhibition opens on September 10 with a conversation between Andy A. Schwarz and Tina Sanudakura of the seminal Kiel post-punk band NO MORE and San Francisco writer and punk historian Jack Boulware, author of Gimme Something Better: The Profound, Progressive, and Occasionally Pointless History of Bay Area Punk from Dead Kennedys to Green Day.
The exhibition is part of a wider San Francisco program featuring Berlin garage-punk duo CAVA, concerts, films, and conversations throughout the fall. Across eight cities and two continents, Alle gegen Alles: Punk@50 considers punk not simply as a historical music movement, but as an enduring cultural force—one that continues to shape visual art, music, publishing, activism, community, and independent creative practice.
Visiting Hours
Tuesday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., or by appointment
Location
Goethe-Institut San Francisco
657 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA
657 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
USA
Tuesday–Thursday, 10:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., or by appointment