Ausgezeichnet! most excellent!

Do heroes still exist? If so, who are they? Can (and should) they be recognized? With the Ausgezeichnet! most excellent! exhibition These questions emanate around the world from Chemnitz, where the focus is on the culture of honoring today’s real or fictitious heroes and on contemporary forms of awards and commendations. Artists from Asia, America and Europe individually, emotionally and enthusiastically reflected on this theme. Their responses range from the pride individuals take in personal accomplishments for the greater good to outstanding personalities, and from categorical refusal to elevate one person above others to labeling, stigmatizing and excluding.

The showing in Klaffenbach Castle featured jewelry art, photography, sculpture and video art, augmented by several examples of the cultural of honors from the German army’s museum of military history in Dresden. The artifacts were selected by Dr. Christianne Weber-Stöber, Deutsches Goldschmiedehaus, Dr. Gorch Pieken, Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr, Prof. Dr. Ulrike Brummert, Institut für Europäische Studien, TU Chemnitz, Paul Derrez, Galerie ra Amsterdam, Sabine Epple, and GRASSI Museum Leipzig and Deganit Stern Schocken, Israel. The exhibition is accompanied by a bilingual catalogue, published by Verlag Arnoldsche. Ausgezeichnet! most excellent! is an exhibition project of the Chemnitzer Künstlerbundes e.V. in cooperation with the German army’s museum of military history and the Institute for European Studies at Chemnitz Polytechnic. The patroness is Barbara Ludwig, lord mayor of the city of Chemnitz.