| In Every Form of
Art, the Soul of a People is Heard
By
the Editors of Volk auf dem Weg
In jeder Form der Kunst kommt die Seele eines
Volkes zum Kllingen
Von der Redaktion des VadW
Volk auf dem Weg, Landsmannschaft der Deutschen
aus Russland, Stuttgart, Germany, January, 2008, pages
12-13
This translation from the original German-language
text to American English is provided by Alex Herzog,
Boulder, Colorado
From November 29 through December 29, 2007, an exhibit
in the Haus der Heimat in Wiesbaden presented the
skills of certain artists from the former USSR.
These kinds of exhibits have become a tradition
here, now taking place two times each year. Once
again, the
organizers were the Bund der Vertriebenen (BdV) [Association
of the Displaced] and the Landsmannschaft der Deutschen
aus Russland.
Vera Meier, cultural consultant for the local and
county chapter of Wiesbaden, opened the event and
presented the artists. Next, Johann Thiessen, chair
of the Land Hessen chapter of the Landsmannschaft,
emphasized the great significance of measures, such
as this, which present the strengths of the German-Russian
immigrants to the general public.
Alfred Herold, Land Hessen chair of the BdV, directed
his remarks of greeting to participants and guests
of the exhibit: "I have often experienced these
exhibits of German-Russian countrymen, viewed them
with great interest and admired them. And I think
that in any form of art, the soul of a people is
heard.
This applies particularly to persons who have come
to us from the expanses of Russian and who had to
make a whole new life for themselves here, often
under difficult circumstances. They conquered a
fate which
most folks in our Land hardly know about and, for
that reason, do not understand. Our common goal
is
to assist these persons in the integration into heir
'new home.'
Jakob Wedel
Three artists of different generations and from different
regions of origin exhibited their works. Sculptures
of the sculptor Jakob Wedel - stylized and symbolic
depictions of human harmony and beauty - provided
insight into more than four decades of his artistic
work that by now comprises nearly 800 pieces. Born
in 1931 in the German village of Nikolaipol in Kirghistan,
Wedel has been living in Detmold since 1988. At 57
he came to Germany and brought along about 200 pieces
of art from his country of origin.
Years of intensive work and numerous exhibits made
Wedel known hereabouts, too. Some 20 of his works
are poured in bronze and can be admired in spas and
in Rathauses, in plazas and in parks.
Dmitriy Baum
The painter Dmitriy Baum comes from Ufa, Russia,
and for over two years has been living in Gross-Gerau.
The young artists presented pictures from three series.
In painting he attempts to find himself artistically
and needing to work up new life situations creatively.
Images from his "Series 2" mirror his
memories, emotions and impressions on his new life.
In his
series "HO&MO" he conducts a "dialog"
with himself and then second-guesses his decisions.
His series "The Energy of Good" allows
confidence and optimism to emerge: a good thing
makes for a good
heart, and a good heart brings light into life.
Leonid Pupkin
The artist Leonid Pupkin of Duesseldorf exhibited
miniature figurines that depict infantry regiments
of countries that participated in the Second Nordic
War (1700 - 1721), Sweden on one side, and Denmark,
Poland-Saxony, Russia and (later) Prussia and Hannover
on the other side. Each country is represented in
this exhibit by a regiment, all figurines are fashioned
from colored dough at a scale of 1:35. The uniforms
are authentic depictions from original historical
pictures.The depiction is complemented by models of
farmyards and other buildings of the Baltic region,
Poland, Germany and Ukraine. Pupkin found himself
drawn to this art form only after coming to Germany,
where he has been getting many children enthused about
his remarkable hobby. This he also accomplished in
the Haus der Heimat, where he led a workshop.
The musical framing of the opening day was taken
care of by lady violinist Valentina Molleker. A team
from the Open Channel of Kassel filmed for an upcoming
program.
Our appreciation is extended
to Alex Herzog for translation of this article.
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