The freedom of art guaranteed in Article 5 of the German Constitution is the basis for the work of the Deichtorhallen Hamburg. We must never take this great good for granted and must defend it even in times when political conflicts are increasingly affecting the art world.
While working on the exhibition, we held intensive internal discussions about the work "Dexter And Sinister" by the First Nation collective New Red Order. It contains a very explicit political statement on a text panel. The panel was added to the artwork at a later date; it is New Red Order's artistic practice to constantly update their works. We are showing the work in the exhibition because we believe that even very pointed statements are covered by artistic freedom. At the same time, we expressly distance ourselves from the specific content of the text panel.
You can find the Code of Conduct on the ethical principles of the Deichtorhallen here.
A current interview on artistic freedom with Dirk Luckow, General director of Deichtorhallen can be found at ZEIT ONLINE here.