Exhibition Meet Rosa Luxemburg extended!
The exhibition Meet Rosa Luxemburg, on display at the IISH, has been extended due to great success! The works of twelve artists from the PhArt collective can be viewed in the public areas of the IISH until 30 August. The artists collective collaborate on exhibitions that center the life and work of an important thinker or philosopher.
The current exhibition focuses on the eventful life of socialist, communist and revolutionary Rosa Luxemburg (1871-1919). Luxemburg played a leading role in the international labour movement at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. In her political writings, she built on the theories of Karl Marx and made clear analyses of the nature and development of capitalism.
Although her family was not politically active, Luxemburg, originally from Poland, became involved in socialist movements at a young age. First in Poland, later in Switzerland and finally in Germany where she moved in 1898. From 1898 she was active in the SPD (Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) as a fierce critic of revisionism and as a spokesperson for the revolutionary left wing. Luxemburg commented on the social democratic and political problems in Germany in many newspaper articles and speeches.
Because of her outspoken opinions and writing, she was sentenced to longer and shorter prison sentences several times. She was a fierce opponent of the war and for internationalism. During several periods of imprisonment, she wrote pamphlets such as Die Krisis der Sozialdemokratie, written under the pseudonym "Junius" in the women's prison in Berlin in 1915-1916. When she was imprisoned again in 1916, this time for “security reasons”, Luxemburg made a name for herself as the leading theoretical head of the revolutionary wing of the anti-war movement with contributions to first the Liebknecht Group, later the International Group and finally the Spartakusbund, founded together with Karl Liebknecht, among others.
In addition to her political work, Luxemburg took an interest in botany in prison, a subject she also devoted herself to during her student days. Photographic reproductions of the herbarium she compiled in prison can be found in the collection of the IISH. From prison, Luxemburg wrote a large number of letters to friends and comrades , some of which can also be found in the collection of the IISH. The letters and cards testify to her broad interests, strength of spirit, and determination. After her release on 9 November 1918, Luxemburg immediately returned to Berlin. In December, together with Liebknecht, she transformed the Spartakusbund into the Kommunistische Partei Deutschlands (KPD). During the Spartacist uprising in January 1919, Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht were arrested and later murdered by anti-communist Freikorpsen.
Luxemburg's letters, her herbarium, her outspoken political ideas and her freedom and captivity are reflected in the works in the exhibition. The exhibition was recently expanded with an impressive collective artwork, created during a meeting where the question: "What is freedom?" was discussed.
Come by (again) before 30 August to view the exhibition and consult Rosa Luxemburg's letters and documents in our collection.
Allard Boterenbrood has designed a particularly sought after poster for the exhibition. Would you also like to hang this design on your wall? It is for sale! Send an e-mail to communicatie@iisg.nl if you are interested.
