“May 1 – International Workers’ Day of Struggle” by Johann Spengler
The series “May 1st – International Workers’ Day” by Johann Spengler (*1995 in Berlin) is dedicated to women in various professional fields in the GDR in eight pennants.
While the obedience paragraph was still in force in the FRG until 1957 and the employment rate for women at the end of the 1980s was 56%, the employment rate for women in the GDR reached over 90% at this time. However, this usually also led to a double burden for women in the GDR, as in addition to the average 43 hours of paid work per week, the same number of hours were spent on care work. This aspect, which is still relevant today, is addressed with the pennant “double burden”.
The pennant, which was an omnipresent object for ceremonial occasions and honors in the GDR, was chosen as the medium here. The year 2026 marks the 136th anniversary of “Labor Day”: it was first proclaimed worldwide as a day of protest in 1890. The fictitious title “International Workers’ Day of Struggle” puts even more focus on the work of women.
instagram: johannspengler_grafik
Further information about the artist: johannspengler.de
The BBKarium Saxony-Anhalt project is funded by the Art Foundation of the State of Saxony-Anhalt and LOTTO Toto Saxony-Anhalt.
