The Roaring Twenties — Homage to DADA & Co.

An Eifel Homage to DADA

The DADA movement was one of the most radical artistic breakthroughs of the 20th century — founded in 1916 at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, it quickly spread to Berlin, Cologne, Hanover, Paris, and New York. The DADAists — Tristan Tzara, Hugo Ball, Hans Arp, Kurt Schwitters, Hannah Höch, Raoul Hausmann, and many others — broke with aesthetic conventions, reinvented collage, sound poetry, readymades, and performances, and paved the way for Surrealism, Pop Art, and all currents of modernism.

The Roaring Twenties as a Framework

The exhibition in Schönecken uses this pioneering artistic period as a framework for exploring themes that are relevant today: How does art respond to societal upheavals? How do political crises and creative breakthroughs relate to each other? What new forms of expression arise from the tension between tradition and innovation?

Contemporary Responses

Artists from the Eifel region and beyond are invited whose works relate to the DADA tradition and the Roaring Twenties — whether through choice of materials, collage techniques, sound art, performance, or thematic engagement with the historical era. The exhibition features painting, sculpture, installation, video art, and printmaking.

Burgflecken as Exhibition Space

The historic buildings of the Schönecken Burgflecken offer an unusual setting for contemporary art. The medieval architecture, the old houses, and the castle ruins create a tension with the modern works that is productive for both. The spaces are temporarily repurposed as exhibition areas and upgraded by the organizer with lighting, hanging, and labeling.

Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz

The Kultursommer Rheinland-Pfalz is one of the state's most important cultural funding programs and has supported regional art and cultural projects for decades. The inclusion of the Schönecken exhibition in the 2026 program underscores the project's cultural significance. Accompanying events such as readings, lectures, and performances are also planned throughout the summer.