This publication is featured on PiE in conjunction with the exhibition “Die Tage waren gezählt” at BLMK – Brandenburgisches Landesmuseum für moderne Kunst in Cottbus. The book will be published in Summer 2026, pre-orders are possible.

The exhibition “Die Tage waren gezählt” is dedicated to artists’ books and journals from the GDR and East Germany from the years 1980 to 1995, which are based on the interplay of literature, painting, original printmaking, and photography. An exhibition and this accompanying publication explore different aspects of this topic, which is being comprehensively addressed in a museum setting for the first time, while simultaneously offering insights into the collection of the Brandenburg State Museum of Modern Art (BLMK), which comprises a unique holding of artists’ books and journals.

The focus is on publications that combine literature, painting, original printmaking, and photography. They are conceived as portable, distributable “exhibitions” that can be experienced individually or collectively. Crucially, this involves the interplay between individual artistic work and collaborative, community-building creation.

Peter Böthig is a research associate at Humboldt University of Berlin and was co-editor of the artists’ journal Schaden. Sylvia Claus is Professor of Art and Architectural History at Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenberg. Anna Horakova is Professor of German Studies at the University of Connecticut. Ulrike Kremeier is Director of the Brandenburg State Museums of Art and Design (BLMK) in Cottbus and Frankfurt (Oder). Caroline Kühne is Curator of Painting, Prints, and Sculpture at the BLMK. Isotta Poggi is Curator of Photography & Artists’ Books at the Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles. Christoph Tannert was Director of Künstlerhaus Bethanien.