AR Penck
The Future of the Emigrant, 1983

Artist
A. R. Penck

Title
The Future of the Emigrant

Year of creation
1983

Technique and dimensions
resin on canvas, 260 x 350 cm

Year of acquisition
1984

Referenced bottom left: AR Penck 1983

AR Penck's photographic reflections on the future of the emigrant are closely linked to his own biography: forced to leave the GDR in 1980 for political reasons, he initially felt alienated and disoriented in the West. The processing of the East-West theme can be seen in the tapestry-like tangle of symbols, especially in the divided circles, which the artist often used as a cipher for the German-German division: a private symbol of ideological and spiritual ambivalence.

At the same time, the autobiographical moment is also located in a multicultural sign repertoire that can generally be seen as a reference to problems of exile and acculturation. The African stickman on the left, who is currently crossing three mountains and seas with a long stride, indicates Penck's conclusion from 1983: “German immigrant in Germany, that's not possible. If you have to be an immigrant, then a real one.” Shortly afterwards he moved to London.