Weltoffenes Dresden

The Dresden City Council's decision in May 2024 to secure the Robotron canteen as a location for contemporary art in Dresden demonstrated foresight: with the help of a generous donation from the Arnhold family, a grant applied for from the federal government and a relatively small contribution from the city itself, the listed building is to be secured for Dresden. This decision provides a solid building block for the future in a highly efficient manner, even in times of scarce municipal funds, and was therefore supported by a broad majority in the city council.

With the Robotron canteen, one of the few remaining monuments of post-war modernism in Dresden is to be upgraded and preserved for a suitable and already established use:

Perspective and new location of the Kunsthaus, which is the only cultural institution under municipal sponsorship in Dresden that shows the current international art scene - and thus forms an important comprehensive environment for the collection in the Städtische Galerie im Landhaus, which is dedicated to regional art development. The Robotron-Kantine, which is located close to the historical centre and therefore easily accessible for tourists, was to become a central exhibition venue for contemporary art - including the Ostrale and other partners - and thus a potentially important place of learning and networking for students of the renowned Academy of Fine Arts as well as a place of living urban history.

For a cosmopolitan cultural metropolis and the people who live in it, the Robotron canteen is a place of contemporary art and culture that has already proven its appeal in Dresden and beyond. As a living testimony to Dresden's unique cultural landscape, which is characterised by technology, modernity and art in equal measure, the venue already contributes to the attractiveness of our city for visitors.

As a large alliance of Dresden's most important cultural institutions, we would like to urge the city council to reconsider the decision made in December regarding the city's participation and the utilisation of the bindingly promised federal funding, which is only available in this quarter: with the federal funding of 4 million euros and the donation from the Arnhold family, a total funding amount of 5.5 million euros is currently available for the renovation. The additional municipal contribution of 1.5 million euros required here was set extremely low; in December, it was already only one fifth of a planned construction sum of 7 million euros and can certainly be renegotiated again against the background of the current budgetary emergency.

Dresden should continue to prove itself worthy of the trust placed in it by the Arnhold family's many years of positive commitment, as well as the federal government's support for long-term common goals, and prove to be a reliable partner.

Even against the background of the extensive third-party funding already pledged for a refurbishment, a future cultural operation in the Robotron canteen, which will continue to be organised without sanitary facilities, without heating and without an intact building envelope, is inexplicable and also incomprehensible in the short term - not to mention the extreme practical obstacles to the realisation of such a cultural operation.

The Dresden City Council should therefore now seize the opportunity for the refurbishment. Particularly in times of tight budgets, the top priority should be to safeguard the cornerstones of the city's cultural landscape, the viability of cultural institutions and Dresden's appeal as a supra-regional cultural centre.

From 27 January, the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust, until 25 February 2025, the exhibition GEGEN DAS VERGESSEN with over 140 impressive portraits by photographer and filmmaker Luigi Toscano will be on display in Dresden. The pictures will be shown at the Frauenkirche and at ten other locations in the city.

A multimedia memorial to the culture of remembrance

With GEGEN DAS VERGESSEN, the German-Italian artist Luigi Toscano has created a unique project that gives survivors of Nazi persecution a face. Since 2014, Toscano has been portraying people who experienced this time of horror. To date, almost 500 encounters have taken place in countries such as Germany, the USA, Austria, Ukraine, Russia, Israel, the Netherlands, France and Belarus. But time is running out: personal encounters with contemporary witnesses will soon no longer be possible. With his project, Toscano is keeping their stories alive - as a reminder for the present and the future.

https://www.luigi-toscano.com/

A special symbol in Dresden

The exhibition in Dresden is particularly close to Luigi Toscano's heart. "As a person and an artist, I feel a deep connection to Dresden and this special place, the Frauenkirche. In the midst of its history and symbolism, my exhibition wants to send a powerful signal against forgetting and keep the memories of the challenges of our past alive - especially now, in times when we must recognise the importance of community and remembrance more than ever and be prepared to take our democratic stance."

#WOD - Weltoffenes Dresden supports the exhibition of the portraits at various locations in the city and thus sets an example against any form of exclusion and in favour of openness, tolerance and democracy.

locations

Church of our lady, the square "Neumarkt", as well as Ausländerrat Dresden e.V., Deutsches Hygiene-Museum Dresden, HELLERAU – Europäisches Zentrum der Künste, Sächsische Landesbibliothek - Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Dresden, Societaetstheater, Staatsoperette Dresden, Staatsschauspiel Dresden, Städtische Bibliotheken Dresden, tjg. Theater Junge Generation, Theaterkahn