Mehl Art by the artist group Clara Mosch in Karl-Marx-Stadt

1/3Opening Galerie Clara Mosch, Karl-Marx-Stadt, 1977, Photo: Ralf-Rainer Wasse

1/3Michael Morgner, MehlArt action, 1980, Photo: Ralf-Rainer Wasse

1/3Auction at Galerie Clara Mosch, 1977, Photo: Ralf-Rainer Wasse

The gallery Clara Mosch in Karl-Marx-Stadt, founded by the artist group of the same name, was an attempt to act self-organized within the structures of the cultural policies of the GDR. Under the roof of a state-run Kulturbund gallery, the artists claimed a certain autonomy in organizing an independent program. On the one hand, they undermined the expected role of such an institution in regard to exhibit officially recognized art, on the other hand, their non-conform activities debunked the GDR’s cultural guidelines.

In 1977 the artists Carlfriedrich Claus, Thomas Ranft, Dagmar Ranft-Schinke, Michael Morgner and Gregor Schade founded the gallery Clara Mosch in Karl-Marx-Stadt. Clara Mosch was a producer’s gallery, it was run by the represented artists. The gallery´s name was formed from the beginnings of the artists’ surnames. Over a period of five years, the artists hosted 29 exhibitions and numerous happenings.

Since the founding of a gallery as a private initiative of an artist group was not permitted in the GDR, the members of Clara Mosch were officially summoned a few days before the first group exhibition, which was planned for May 30, 1977. Representatives of the Künstlerverband (artists’ association), the district council, the SED leadership and the Kulturbund (cultural association) were present at the debate. Under threat of closure of the gallery by the police, the members agreed to join the Kulturbund (cultural association) of the GDR, through which the state government monitored cultural activities.

Viewing the foundation of the producer gallery and its attachment to the Kulturbund against the historical background of the GDR, which had expropriated and nationalized the last remaining private businesses during those years, it becomes clear that a completely independent producer gallery would have seemed a pure anachronism to SED officials. Therefore the members of Clara Mosch had to try to wrest a free space within the given structures from the supervisory bodies. For example, the artist-producers insisted on determining whose work was on display in their gallery and advocated self-management of the company. All attempts by the Kulturbund officials to exhibit artists that were not approved by the Clara Mosch group were deterred.

Mehl-Art was organized by Clara Mosch in 1980 in the premises of a bakery in Karl-Marx-Stadt. This happening was a reaction to the so-called Mail-Art, also known as Correspondence Art, which emerged in the context of the Fluxus movement in the 1960s. Artists produced letters, cards and other objects which were then sent by post, creating a broad network of participants. The central motif of Mail Art can be found in this process of collective self-formation in a wide-ranging network. In fundamental contrast to such networking strategies, the artists around Clara Mosch reinterpreted the concept by using the German word Mehl (flour), which sounds like Mail, as the basis of their happening. By referring to the Mail Art, questions about networking opportunities within the GDR regime were raised. In contrast to the possibilities of mail art’s far-reaching network, the Clara Mosch’s title is located in everyday, life in the workers´ and peasants´ state, as the artists put themselves in the role of bakers. Here, questions about the limits of art in the GDR are raised. The Mehl Art must therefore also be expressly regarded as political, since it had the character of a happening that was only known from Western art at that time. The happenings of the artist group Clara Mosch document the basic attitudes of the participating artists towards art. They were shaped on the one hand by subversion and political commitment, but on the other hand also by general joy in joint activity.

The gallery’s program was the expression of a certain autonomy, reflected in the broadening of the presentation spectrum to include auctions, happenings, football tournaments and artists’ parties. With this playful, open approach, the gallery stood in stark contrast to the normal exhibition concepts of the state galleries or the Kulturbund. Thomas Ranft and Dagmar Ranft-Schincke dealt with mythological themes and a fantastic visual language in their artistic work, but everyday life in the GDR, bureaucratic absurdities were also reflected on in the exhibitions.

In order to combat the Clara Mosch Gallery, the Ministry for State Security called in 120 informers, organized house searches and initiated “decomposition measures.” This lead to the break-up of the Ranfts’ marriage, and the group was worn down when a rumor was planted that one of the artists was a Stasi informer. However, the artists decided to abandon Clara Mosch rather than allowing themselves to be instrumentalized; on 27.11.1982, in a published obituary notice, they announced the death of Clara Mosch.

Sources:

Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (ed.), “»Wir gehen erst, wenn wir Arbeitsverbot haben.« Thomas Ranft und Michael Morgner von der Gruppe Clara Mosch im Gespräch mit Claus Löser.” 2009. https://www.bpb.de/mediathek/video/154806/wir-gehen-erst-wenn-wir-arbeitsverbot-haben/

Gillen, Eckhart and Rainer Haarmann (eds.), Kunst in der DDR: Künstler, Galerien, Museen, Kulturpolitik, Adressen. Köln: 1990.

Grundmann, Uta, “Die Künstlergruppe »Clara Mosch«“ in Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung: Autonome Kunst in der DDR (Dossier). https://www.bpb.de/geschichte/deutsche-geschichte/autonome-kunst-in-der-ddr/55822/clara-mosch

Kaiser, Paul and Claudia Petzold (ed.),  “Metamorphosen der Fünftracht. Rebellion unterm Frauenrock: Die Produzentengalerie und Künstlergruppe »Clara Mosch« in Karl-Marx-Stadt.” In Boheme und Diktatur in der DDR: Gruppen, Konflikte, Quartiere, 1970-1989. Katalog zur Ausstellung des Deutschen Historischen Museums vom 4. September bis 16. Dezember 1997. Berlin: Fannei & Walz, 1997.