Art, Jazz and Lyrics in America Now

The election of Barack Obama as the new American president restored overnight what had seemed increasingly, and at times irretrievably, lost—respect for the United States within the global community. After years of alienation and division under Republican leadership, the country and the world are now electrified with hope for imminent changes in American politics. People from around the globe responded to the election and America’s choice with generosity, consideration, and heartfelt support—in similar ways as in the days after September 11th, 2001. It would be naive to believe in and wrong to wish for a return to the old transatlantic order. Hegel’s historic idea of the “trick of reason” appears to be confirmed once more—perhaps two terms of George W. Bush in office, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and, finally, financial, economic, and environmental crises were necessary to propel the United States toward a new political and cultural vision.

The 21st century has seen the world and also the relationship between Europe and the United States fundamentally change. The time of the US as the “only remaining super power” is undoubtedly over. The country’s authority and its self-confidence have been shaken, as has Europe’s trust in American politics as we know it. For the DISCOVER US! organizers the time is ripe to discuss the way we see the Unites States of America from an artistic and updated point of view.

In an exhibition with approximately 20 artists “images” of America will be discussed in the form of a concert series, readings of conceptual poetry, and a symposium focused on the topicality of conceptual writing, at different locations in Berlin from January to May 2009. DISCOVER US! emerged in cooperation between the exhibition’s curators Uta Grundmann, Sabine Russ and Gregory Volk and the association jazzwerkstatt Berlin Brandenburg e.V. The literary program is supervised by Robert Fitterman of the New York Unversity and Catrin Gersdorf of the Kennedy Institute, Freie Universität Berlin.

The exhibition and the program of the jazzwerkstatt berlin-brandenburg e.V. are supported by the Hauptstadtkulturfonds Berlin.

The exhibition and the literary program are supported by the Embassy of the United States of America in Berlin.