Academy of Fine Arts Leipzig
Expanded Cinema Class
Prof. Clemens von Wedemeyer & Mareike Bernien, PhD.

The exhibition features current individual works by students of the Expanded Cinema class in Leipzig. On display are kinetic sculptures, video installations, photographs and (video) performances. The motto of this year‘s edition of the EMAF is quite familiar to us, as most of these works deal with the concept of time, but in fragmented forms. It is a time of restlessness where it is impossible to lean back. Something becomes worn out, wobbles, transforms itself. History is constantly being rewritten, especially in a time of war. When we react to the present, the first thing is to establish a connection to it. But this can break off at any time, must be rebuilt, these are moments of transition, of blackout, times of restlessness and change of place. Sorry, I have to leave. But where to? The works tell of nuclear waste in Taiwan, memorials in Hong Kong, oily plastic forms moving to the rhythm of share prices and directional radiation towers sending messages into the mountains…

The Expanded Cinema Class at the HGB Leipzig: Film has undergone a massive transformation in recent decades, moving towards datadriven production and new relationships with nature. Our artistic education and research focuses on the further development of the contemporary moving image, innovative narratives and spatial installations, with students experimenting with all kinds of formats, including photography, VR, sculpture, performance as well as research-based practices. In a networked world, increasingly connected through visual and auditory tools, we critically engage with the rapidly increasing automation and interconnectedness of our social environments and cognitive technologies at the intersections of media, public and virtual spaces. In filmmaking, we not only adhere to a critical documentary practice but also embrace the possibilities of fiction and speculation.

The class was founded in 2013. It is currently led by Prof. Clemens von Wedemeyer and Mareike Bernien, PhD.

Supported by the Freundeskreis der HGB Leipzig and the support Büro of the HGB Leipzig. The HGB Leipzig as well as the measures implemented within the framework of the university’s activities are co-financed by tax funds based on the budget passed by the Saxon state parliament.