Exhibition

Andrea Robbins (born in Boston in 1963) and Max Becher (born in Düsseldorf in 1964) have been making photographs and films in Europe, North America, in the Caribbean and Africa. Their work deals with “transported” places and identities. When people settle in foreign countries following emigration or exile, they attempt to maintain parts of their former home or cultural roots. Communities of the Lubavitch Jews recreate their neo-gothic New York headquarters throughout the world – thus, Brooklyn was replicated in the desert, and the sleepy provincial village of Postville in the Midwest of the USA for the past few years has been mutating into an Eastern European and yet multi-cultural town. Andrea Robbins and Max Becher have been visiting such diasporal communities. Their descriptions of the people and places are very accurate and give evidence of their appreciation of the humour inherent in the “transported identities”, without being disrespectful or cynical. The double exhibition staged jointly by the Cologne SK foundation (showing „Transported Places“, including “Bavarian Villages” and “German Indians”, until 15th January 2006) and museum kunst palast presents an overview of the entire work of the two artists.