Translation by Ida Lunde Jørgensen
In the exhibition The Exception and the Rule at SAK Art Center in Svendborg, the three artists Yvette Brackman, Maria Finn and Frans Jacobi have been inspired by the world-famous dramatist’s stay in the small thatched house by Svendborg Sound.
From 1933 to 1939, the German dramatist lived in Svendborg, on the run from the Nazi regime in his home country, Germany. In Denmark, he wrote two of his most important plays: Mother Courage and Her Children (Mutter Courage und ihre Kinder) and Life of Galileo (Leben des Galilei). Today, Brecht’s house serves as a residence for visiting artists and writers.
Yvette Brackman, Maria Finn and Frans Jacobi exhibit works that, in different ways, demonstrate the legacy and inspiration of Brecht — his way of telling stories, his radical ideas about the artwork’s relation to the audience, and art’s ability to convey political content.
The video installation Round Heads and Pointed Heads (2007) is Frans Jacobi’s new interpretation of Brecht’s play of the same title (Die Rundköpfe und die Spitzköpfe) from 1935, about the fictitious country Yahoo, where a dictator takes power and divides the people into two races.
The work is a direct comment on Hitler and the Nazi takeover in Germany in 1933, which forced Brecht into exile in Svendborg. Jacobi also presents his newest work, I SAY NO! I Say Yes! (JEG SIGER NEJ! Jeg siger ja!), from 2012.
Taking Brecht’s ideas about political theatre as a point of departure, Jacobi has built a new narrative that takes place in present-day Svendborg. Part of the work is a performance at the opening. The performance and installation feature music by Jomi Massage.