The Berlin - Rome Connection draws a line from the Foro Italico in Rome to the Olympic Stadium in Berlin: Both sports facilities were propaganda tools for two major criminals in the 20th century, Mussolini and Hitler, small-sized men, who used sports, architecture and sculpture to manipulate and emotionalize the crowds; both built themselves a stage for propaganda as part of the capitals' urban structures to demonstrate their power and glory. Muscular bodies decorate the sites; the accompanying statues are over-sized, praising Machismo and male dominance.

Both sites are still in use and have been modernized, but with a different approach: While the Nazi site in Berlin got an intense examination by historians, which lead to a critical guidance system on the grounds of Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the Fascist propaganda aesthetics of the Foro Italico, with inscriptions and depictions of a dictator, are practically untouched, suggesting that Mussolini is still in power with his insignia and name all over the place.

The art concept addresses this situation and questions its deeper meaning by creating a cultural exchange between the two sites. The sculpture program gets expanded : Enlarged copies of the Nazi "fighter" and some equine statues from the grounds of the Olympic Stadium in Berlin will be positioned in the entrance area of the Foro Italico, set in relation to predominant aesthetics. In reverse, copies of idealized mens' bodies from the Foro Italico will be installed at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin.


Reichssportfeld><Foro-Mussolini (c) Frieder Schnock, Berlin / VG BildKunst, Bonn/Berlin, ARS NYC

(Achse Berlin - Rom)

Ost-West-Achse, Berlin (c) Frieder Schnock, Berlin / VG BildKunst, Bonn/Berlin, ARS NYC

Foro Italico (c) Frieder Schnock, Berlin / VG BildKunst, Bonn/Berlin, ARS NYC

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