Introduction

The exhibition Color as Program addresses color as an artistic medium and its programmatic, political dimension on the basis of art and cultural history exhibits from far more than 100 years. The theme is not so much the art historical context of color or a media-technological exploration of the topic. Rather, it is about the artistic exploration of the power of color. This permeates all disciplines, not only aesthetically and perceptually, but also politically and economically.

With the dawn of the age of technical reproducibility more than a century ago, the presence of color increased steadily and exponentially: a veritable invasion of color and its underlying and rapidly changing media possibilities took place - and is still taking place. Emblematic for this process in recent history can be the starting signal with which the then Vice-Chancellor Willy Brandt heralded in the era of color television in West Germany on 25 August 1967.

The exhibition will feature works from over 40 artists including Rosa Barba, Angela Bulloch, Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Hito Steyerl.