While people in authoritarian states are fighting for basic freedoms, democracies are debating what freedom even means: was it justified to restrict individual freedoms during the pandemic? Can climate policies dictate which heating systems or cars a person uses? Is a free society compatible with closed borders? Does self-interest take precedence over the common good – or is it the other way around?

In these debates, the term “freedom” is often invoked for opposing agendas. Even the seemingly unambiguous demands made by historical freedom movements, as well as the symbols they used, are now being appropriated by right-wing populist groups radically opposed to a free, liberal society.

To gain a better understanding of this convoluted conflict, the exhibition first looks to the past. Beginning with the quest for liberation in the major revolutions since the 18th century, the exhibition tells freedom’s unfinished story. Central to this narrative are the dissident movements in Poland, Czechoslovakia, and East Germany before and after 1989. How were they similar? How did they differ? And how do their ideals of freedom continue to resonate with us today?

An exhibition by the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum in cooperation with the European Solidarity Centre, Gdańsk, the National Gallery Prague and the National Museum, Wroclaw

Lady Liberty, the Statue of Liberty in New York, is probably one of the most famous symbols of freedom – but it is by no means the only one! Art history is full of motifs where freedom conquers tyranny or brings hope. The exhibition uses these images, which are still so influential today, to show how artists have given shape to the ideals of freedom.

What strategies and activities did the freedom movements in Poland, the Czech Republic and the GDR use to pursue their goal of overcoming the socialist systems of rule? The focus here is on civil rights activists and intellectuals such as Václav Havel in the former ČSSR, the Polish trade union Solidarność with its leader Lech Wałęsa, and the opposition and dissident scene in the GDR. The exhibition traces the key stages of their long journey to freedom: from international agreements on freedom of expression, to social and artistic protests, to round table negotiations, and finally the first free elections.

No freedom without solidarity – what remains of this rallying cry of the Eastern and Central European liberation movements? Even today, there are ongoing debates on how to balance the right to self-fulfilment, respect for the freedom of others and the goals of society as a whole. Can looking back at the years before and after 1989 be a source of inspiration for a more cohesive society, both today and in the future? Video interviews from the three countries, together with contemporary artworks and media installations, offer the audience the opportunity to engage intensively with these questions.