'Animal uproar' on show in Bremen

Two sculptures by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan illustrate the collective action of the Bremen Town Musicians to form a pyramid that causes a group of robbers to flee the scene. Employing an avowedly socialist ethic, Cattelan is primarily concerned with the idea that both creativity and friendship are symbiotic.

The artist Ayse Erkmen shot a total of 30,000 photos of donkeys, dogs, cats and roosters in Istanbul and then distributed them to passers-by in Bremen in 2003 for her "One is missing" project. Part of the Bremen exhibition "No one is an island," the work was designed to foster interactive participation in the themes surrounding the Bremen Town Musicians.

Five animals stacked on top of each other. Some see a still life in this work, others merchandise from a Disney cartoon. In fact, the sculpture is by US artist Jeff Koons, who seems to have been inspired by Bremen's animal rebels. These kitschy animals figurines originated in a carving workshop in South Tyrol, where religious icons such as saints are usually made.

Janosch has long been one of Germany's most beloved children's book authors and illustrators, while books like "Oh wie schön ist Panama" ("Oh how beautiful is Panama") and "Post für den Tiger" ("Post for the Tiger") became a fixture in nurseries around the world. The author here reinterpreted the Brothers Grimm story of the colorful troupe of animals on their way to Bremen.

Like insect shells on a skewer, artist Maarten Vanden Eynde has stacked a pyramid of vehicles on top of each other outside the Kunsthalle Bremen, creating a figure reminiscent of the rebel Bremen Town Musicians. The vehicles, placed according to age, are all from Latvia. The country's capital, Riga, and the Hanseatic city of Bremen have been twin cities since 1985.

For this sculptural work, the South Korean artist Gimhongsok has piled fury mannequins representing the four Bremen town musicians on a podium. The animals appear to be crushing each other, a reflection of the precarious situation of the characters in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. The Bremen exhibition celebrating the 200th anniversary of the story runs through September 1, 2019.