3 May 2017

Archive of Hanns Zischler at the Akademie der Künste

Archive presentation on 9 May, Pariser Platz

Actor, photographer, translator, publisher, essayist – Hanns Zischler is one of Germany’s most versatile artists. In 2014, at the suggestion of the Literature Section he was elected a member of the Akademie der Künste; now he is giving the first collection of his extensive archive to the film archives at the Akademie. The Hanns-Zischler-Archiv comprises film scripts, photographs and press materials on his film roles, as well as his manuscripts for lectures and speeches. The majority of items relate to his extensive research and the collections of materials for his books and film projects.

A special event with Hanns Zischler will be held at the Akademie der Künste on Tuesday, 9 May 2017 to inaugurate the transference of the archive. Under the title “Lust an Erkenntnis” (A Desire for Knowledge), Zischler will discuss his artistic work, his insatiable intellectual curiosity and why he equates collecting with knowledge. Archives hold a special fascination for Zischler, and are ultimately the sources from which he creates something new, for instance the book Der Schmetterlingskoffer. Die tropischen Expeditionen von Arnold Schultze (2010) or an exhibition held in Marbach, Errata. Fehler aus zweiter Hand (2016). His conversation partners at the Akademie are Torsten Musial, head of the Film and Media Arts Archives, and Sabine Hackethal, head of the historical section of the Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, who co-edited Die Erkundung Brasiliens. Friedrich Sellows unvollendete Reise (2013) in collaboration with Hanns Zischler. A cross-section of Zischler’s acting performances will be screened from selected film clips before the discussion and documents from his archive are shown in a display case presentation organised especially for this event.

Hanns Zischler (b. 1947 in Nuremberg), lives in Berlin. Studied philosophy, ethnology, musicology and German Studies in Munich and Berlin; began working as a translator in 1967. In 1968 he went to the Berliner Schaubühne as a dramaturge. Collaborating with Harun Farocki, in 1976 he staged Heiner Müller’s Die Schlacht and Traktor in Karlsruhe and Basel. Since the mid-1970s Zischler has had roles in what amount to 240 films, including Im Lauf der Zeit (1976) by Wim Wenders, Berlin Chamissoplatz (1980) by Rudolf Tome, Dr. M (1990) by Claude Chabrol and Munich (2005) by Steven Spielberg. In parallel, Zischler worked as an author, editor, publisher and translator on projects such as the Grammatologie by Jacques Derrida (together with Hans-Jörg Rheinberger). His voice-overs for numerous audio books include works by Vladimir Nabokov, Gabriel García Márquez, Arnold Stadler and Kathrin Röggla. Publications (selection): Kafka geht ins Kino (1996 / new edition, 2017), Vorstoß ins Innere – Streifzüge durch das Berliner Museum für Naturkunde (2011), Berlin ist zu groß für Berlin. Essays (2013). Das Mädchen mit den Orangenpapieren (2014). Literary awards (selection): Friedrich-Baur-Preis in 2004, the Akademie der Künste’s Heinrich-Mann-Preis in 2009, Deutscher Hörbuchpreis in 2010, Preis der Literaturhäuser in 2013. Zischler’s photographs, taken with a camera obscura, are frequently shown in exhibitions.

For Inquiries
Film and Media Arts Archives, Dr. Torsten Musial, Tel. +49 (0)30 20057-3258, musial@adk.de

Event Details
Hanns Zischler. A Desire for Knowledge
Tuesday, 9 May 2017
Begins at 7 pm, Admisssion € 6/4
Akademie der Künste, Pariser Platz 10, 10117 Berlin

Press Tickets: presse@adk.de, Tel. +49 (0)30 200 57-1514