Watch the Video on TVmainfranken.de: HERE

"Opening of the vernissage at the CCW - Posters against anti-democracy and extremism

Yesterday, April 3rd, the vernissage “Posters against anti-democracy and extremism” was opened at the Congress Centrum Würzburg. The visitors were welcomed by the initiator Dr. Pia Beckmann and the cultural officer Benedikt Stegmayer. An exhibition that is not only there to look at, but also to encourage exchange.

The transformation of political themes into an artistic work

“There is trash everywhere in this country” - this pithy title adorns one of the posters of the creative exhibition by pics4peace in Würzburg. The quote comes from US President Donald Trump, who is depicted in caricature style on the picture.

The poster is part of an exhibition against anti-democracy and extremism. And this in turn is also just one part of a much larger project.

"This exhibition is part of the overall project ‘Finally arriving’ that we are currently carrying out here in Würzburg and we spoke to students at THWS, the designers, and said Do you want the political posters that you are making in Professor Nolte's course? Don't you want to finally make them on the subject? Because you know, the framework conditions, the political ones, are decisive for whether we can arrive in life or not.

If people don't feel seen, if their needs are not met, then of course it is difficult to say I have arrived,” 

says Dr. Pia Beckmann, initiator of pics4peace e. V..

Stimulating political discourse

The posters, which were created by design students, address political and social grievances and encourage in-depth political discourse. Under the direction of Prof. Gertrud Nolte, the artists developed concepts that impressively combine text and image. Student Isabella Adelt was on site and was particularly pleased about this opportunity for presentation and the stimulating exchange.

"I also found it really nice to get into conversation with other people who then ask the questions, who are interested in it and then you get into the political discourse. And I think it's really great that we can reach more people than just within our university,” 

says Isabella Adelt, a student at THWS.

Process of creative implementation

More than 100 posters against anti-democracy and extremism were designed as part of the creative project. Thirty-two selected works are now being presented at the vernissage. For the students, designing them is far more than just a point on the curriculum.

"They are supposed to learn poster design here. So what does it mean to make a poster on a large surface in a nutshell?To depict a thematically wide-ranging matter. And that was my reason, poster design. But not just to make something pretty, I also want to encourage the students to think in a socially relevant way, because as a designer you are responsible for doing the right things, doing good things and doing reflective things," 

says Prof. Gertrud Nolte, lecturer at THWS.

Challenges for the students

And that is easier said than done: the poster design requires attention to several factors without losing sight of the artistic concept. In addition, the students had to design a new poster every week to ensure that their work was up to date.

"There were challenges, so sometimes you had posters where you had a theme and you knew straight away, okay, this is how I'm going to do it, this is how it works. And sometimes you had topics that you really wanted to say something about, but then you didn't know how. And then it was a bit difficult and of course you have to make many, many variations and think about the best way to present it, because sometimes it's not that easy. Getting to the heart of such complex issues in such a simple way and then also representing your own opinion,” 

says Anna Lindner, student at THWS.

High-quality artwork with a political message

Incidentally, Anna Lindner created the poster with the caricature of Donald Trump in the supposed garbage can.

But instead of garbage, visitors to this vernissage can expect to see only high-quality works of art. These can be admired at the Congress Centrum Würzburg until April 21 - where they not only look good, but above all are intended to invite discourse.” (TV Mainfranken, 04.04.2025)