Sun Seekers!
An exhibition on art and mining at Wismut
Werner Petzold: Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy (excerpt), 1972–1974, enamel, 16 x 12 m, current location near Löbichau, Wismut GmbH Chemnitz, copyright VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2025, photo: Thomas Meinicke
During the Cold War, SDAG Wismut mined weapons-grade uranium for the Soviet Union in western Saxony and eastern Thuringia. At the same time, it was a legendary "state within a state" and collected fine art on a grand scale. For the first time in Zwickau, at an authentic site of Wismut's history, the exhibition provided an overview of the most extensive art collection of a GDR company, comprising more than 4,000 works by 450 artists. A pictorial expedition into the recent past, which also led to the themes of transformation following German reunification.
When: 10 April to 26 October 2025
Where? Zwickau, Former cotton mill, metaWERK GmbH, Pölbitzer Straße 9
