Zeitenwende – 1525/2025 - Ein Triptychon

We are currently facing global conflicts, climate change, armed conflicts and a threat to our own democracy. People during the Renaissance 500 years ago also faced a sense of rapid and sweeping change, just as we do today, albeit under different systemic conditions. Through the discovery of the world, new inventions and liberation from the clergy, humanity forged its path from the Middle Ages into the modern era. The Peasants’ War of 1525, in particular, was a central event that was the focus of attention in 2025. This state of uncertainty and disorientation regarding the future plays a greater role in the minds of Year 8 pupils than it does for us adults. Pupils from the Martin Luther Grammar School in Eisleben depicted this state of limbo in their search for identity in a Dadaist-inspired, expressive triptych using mixed media. The project was led by the artist and teacher Kenny Rüdiger and the theatre painter Conny Warnicke. At the exhibition in St Peter’s Church in Eisleben, visitors have the opportunity to view the artworks in various ways. They could take a seat on the pews to study the works up close, or stand and view the pictures as a whole from a distance. The triptych is accompanied by two further paintings from the circle of Lucas Cranach: Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and The Mocking of Jesus. Following the exhibition at St Peter’s Church, the artwork has been on display in the main canteen of the Martin Luther Grammar School in Eisleben since 11 August 2025. Participating pupils: Zozan Abdullah, Zoi-Alessia Breitschuh, Mia Sophie Ehrhardt, Lecia Klara Ehrich, Louisa Gersch, Saskia Hentschel, Helena Huschenberg, Jolina Kramer, Zari Kalea Kühne, Jessica Lenk, Florenne Lienow, Viktoriia Mykhailychenko, Romy Schmidt, Mia Helèn Waldeck, Basan Wischnewski
The project Turning Point – 1525/2025 was made possible thanks to the kind support of: the State of Saxony-Anhalt, the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, the location development company Mansfeld-Südharz mbH, the Eisleben Theatre, the Martin Luther Grammar School Eisleben, the Friends of the Martin Luther Grammar School Eisleben, and the Eisleben Baptism Centre.