Jochen Gerz

"'THE WALK' by Jochen Gerz is a work about democracy." (Thomas Krützberg, Head of Cultural Affairs of the City of Duisburg)Jochen Gerz has been working with new media since the end of the 1960s. After several contributions to the documenta and his participation (along with Beuys and Ruthenbeck) in the 39th Venice Biennale in 1976 (at the German Pavilion), since the mid-1980s he has been working in the public domain on social processes. The focus of his work is on the members of the public themselves, without whose participation his work would not be possible.The text-based installation "THE WALK" at the Lehmbruck Museum in Duisburg leads over a pedestrian bridge along the institution's glass façade. The text to be read in it links the life and work of the artist, who was born in Berlin in 1949, and thus has participated in eight decades of history, as Jens Dirksen points out in his foreword. Questions are raised, questions about where the story is heading or how I am a part of it and of public life.For the work, the museum, in collaboration with Duisburg's association of tradespeople, engaged ten refugees to help with the organization and to accompany the audience through the exhibition. Part of the artistic work is the participation in their experiences, wishes and dreams. For the publication, Jens Dirksen ("Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung," WAZ) conducted interviews with the refugees; five of these interviews also appeared in the WAZ.