Donata Wenders: Ode to the craft
Film presentation
An exhibition at Kunstbahnhof Flöha is dedicated to the cinematic works of Donata Wenders. The focus of the show is a series of eleven short films that showcase traditional crafts in Saxony. Between 2019 and 2024, the artist travelled through Saxony and portrayed traditional crafts and their practitioners. The result is a series of film portraits of various crafts, some of which are threatened with extinction, such as blue printing, artificial flower manufacturing, papermaking and bandoneon production. As a rule, the focus is not on the individual, but on their craftsmanship.
Adress:
Kunstbahnhof Flöha
Bahnhofstraße 2a
09557 Flöha
The exhibition was on display from 30 October to 2 December 2025.
The exhibition is a project of the European Capital of Culture Chemnitz 2025 in cooperation with the Dresden State Art Collections, the Regional Management European Capital of Culture Region Chemnitz and the City of Flöha, with the kind support of Afzal Mahmood.
Film works
Some of the videos were shown last year at the Japanese Palace (Dresden State Art Collections) under the title ‘Ode to Craftsmanship’. Two new films about the Schneeberg glove maker Nils Bergauer and the Seiffen nutcracker maker Markus Füchtner were created for the exhibition in Flöha. The accompanying series of works, ‘Komorebi Dreams,’ was created in 2022 during the filming of Wim Wenders' ‘Perfect Days’ in Tokyo. The exhibition also features various other film works by Donata Wenders. The selection is inspired by everyday scenes in railway station waiting rooms: waiting, reading and observing.
