Dive Into Kraftwerk's Universe

When you think about an art exhibition starring a musical band, it's only natural to imagine a gallery space filled with dozens of stylized photos from newspapers and magazines, album covers and videos of the group performing. But Kraftwerk’s latest exhibition defies all these assumptions.

Known as pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk has exclusively used electronic instrumentation like synthesizers, drum machines and the vocoder on their compositions since 1974, beginning with the release of their breakthrough album Autobahn. Their live performances are equally as powerful and innovative as their music. Imagine four robotic creatures arranged symmetrically around the stage in front of their electronic gear with huge projections hypnotizing audiences in the background, and you’ve got an idea.

Kraftwerk. 3-D Video-Exhibition opened on the 15th at Kunstbau, an annex of the Lenbachhaus museum in Munich, and in short, is a live physical experience and representation of the German band's audiovisual universe. There are multiple video installations made especially for the demonstration that must be viewed with Infitec 3D glasses for an added tridimensional experience. On the three days leading up to the opening, the quartet performed three sold-out shows in front of the exhibition’s visual treats. Below is a segment of the show on the 12th:

And here is a little something shot during the exhibition:

Historian Matthias Mühling, the exhibition’s curator, believes the group creates complete works of art with their songs and performances. In his words, "Kraftwerk's conceptual coherence has enabled the group to present their topics in a very conclusive manner–with sound, performance, projections and through amazing music." The statement on Lenbachhaus’ website reinforces the band's artistic relevance: "Since they performed at the Venice Biennale in 2005, the world of contemporary art has also begun to see Kraftwerk's multimedia shows as a unique form of artistic performance."

Kraftwerk. 3-D Video-Exhibition is open through November 13.