Talking Bodies – Body Images in the Poster

Stereotypical bodies dominate advertising and assert themselves as an expression of a successful life. To what extent do they shape our perception of ourselves and the world?

Young, white, straight, healthy and attractive ... Since the beginning of the modern picture poster around 1900, the human body has been a popular subject. Its representation usually follows the rules of the market: stereotypical bodies dominate advertising and assert themselves as an expression of a successful life. To what extent do they shape our perception of ourselves and the world? And are there effective counter-strategies? In the context of current debates on gender and race as well as on body optimization and media self-dramatization, the exhibition questions body images in our visual culture. Posters from the museum's collection are juxtaposed with artistic positions and everyday objects, opening up a multi-layered examination of the body in its cultural, social, and political dimensions.

The exhibition invites a critical examination of the representation of the body in history and the present. In this context, sensitive and discriminating images and objects that determined and still determine our everyday culture are also shown.