The blue fluorescent neon art piece "NEVER AGAIN" by conceptual artist Jan Kuck serves as a clear symbol and commitment to our Jewish fellow citizens and against the currently resurging global antisemitism.
Due to our historical responsibility, it is imperative that we make every effort and leave nothing undone to ensure that violence, especially against our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith, is never again tolerated, justified, or accepted as a part of our society.
"NEVER AGAIN" is a forward-looking, admonishing call that our unbearably destructive past must never become our present.
Initially displayed in January 2018 at the former city prison of Palazzo Ducale over the rooftops of Genoa as part of the Holocaust exhibition "Segrete. Tracce di Memoria," the artwork has continued to be showcased at various locations. Each exhibition had a mandatory requirement for a connection to the crimes of the Nazis, either through critical content engagement or the exhibition venue.
Locations where "NEVER AGAIN" has been exhibited include:
- 2018: Palazzo Ducale di Genova – Segrete. Tracce di Memoria
- 2022: Foyer of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in the Congress Hall on the former Nuremberg Nazi Party Rally Grounds as part of the Designwalk.Art exhibition
- 2022: Memorial exhibition for Sophie Scholl in the Klosterkirche Traunstein with the White Rose Foundation e.V.
- 2023: "WORDS ARE OVERESTIMATED" – Solo exhibition by Jan Kuck at Galerie Koppelmann, Cologne
Following the terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, by Hamas on Israel, Jan Kuck, along with fellow artist Richard Wurm, created a storefront display as a solidarity gesture at the ORAG Haus in front of the synagogue at St.-Jakobs-Platz in Munich. Richard Wurm contributed a painting, and Jan Kuck presented his neon artwork "NEVER AGAIN." This initiative led to the idea of displaying this symbol on the New Town Hall at Marienplatz. Through swift collaboration between the Cultural Department, Jan Kuck, and Isabel Bernheimer, "NEVER AGAIN" was showcased on the balcony of the Munich City Hall as a significant statement against all forms of antisemitism.
Given that on November 20, 1941, the first deportation of Jewish individuals from Munich to the so-called Eastern territories occurred, "NEVER AGAIN" will be illuminated on November 20, 2023, as a shining symbol of solidarity and against any form of antisemitism.
"NEVER AGAIN" will be displayed on the balcony of Munich City Hall from November 20, 2023, 7:00 PM, to November 26, 2023, 11:00 PM.
The opening ceremony will take place on November 20, 2023, at 7:00 PM, in the presence of the artist and Cultural Commissioner Anton Biebl, featuring several speakers, including Dr. Hélène Gleitman, the Chairwoman of TAMAD e.V., in the Rathausgalerie in the courtyard of the New Town Hall at Marienplatz.
"NEVER AGAIN" is made possible through the comprehensive support of the Cultural Department of the City of Munich / Public Art Munich.
www.neveragainisnow.de
Due to our historical responsibility, it is imperative that we make every effort and leave nothing undone to ensure that violence, especially against our fellow citizens of the Jewish faith, is never again tolerated, justified, or accepted as a part of our society.
"NEVER AGAIN" is a forward-looking, admonishing call that our unbearably destructive past must never become our present.
Initially displayed in January 2018 at the former city prison of Palazzo Ducale over the rooftops of Genoa as part of the Holocaust exhibition "Segrete. Tracce di Memoria," the artwork has continued to be showcased at various locations. Each exhibition had a mandatory requirement for a connection to the crimes of the Nazis, either through critical content engagement or the exhibition venue.
Locations where "NEVER AGAIN" has been exhibited include:
- 2018: Palazzo Ducale di Genova – Segrete. Tracce di Memoria
- 2022: Foyer of the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra in the Congress Hall on the former Nuremberg Nazi Party Rally Grounds as part of the Designwalk.Art exhibition
- 2022: Memorial exhibition for Sophie Scholl in the Klosterkirche Traunstein with the White Rose Foundation e.V.
- 2023: "WORDS ARE OVERESTIMATED" – Solo exhibition by Jan Kuck at Galerie Koppelmann, Cologne
Following the terrorist attacks on October 7, 2023, by Hamas on Israel, Jan Kuck, along with fellow artist Richard Wurm, created a storefront display as a solidarity gesture at the ORAG Haus in front of the synagogue at St.-Jakobs-Platz in Munich. Richard Wurm contributed a painting, and Jan Kuck presented his neon artwork "NEVER AGAIN." This initiative led to the idea of displaying this symbol on the New Town Hall at Marienplatz. Through swift collaboration between the Cultural Department, Jan Kuck, and Isabel Bernheimer, "NEVER AGAIN" was showcased on the balcony of the Munich City Hall as a significant statement against all forms of antisemitism.
Given that on November 20, 1941, the first deportation of Jewish individuals from Munich to the so-called Eastern territories occurred, "NEVER AGAIN" will be illuminated on November 20, 2023, as a shining symbol of solidarity and against any form of antisemitism.
"NEVER AGAIN" will be displayed on the balcony of Munich City Hall from November 20, 2023, 7:00 PM, to November 26, 2023, 11:00 PM.
The opening ceremony will take place on November 20, 2023, at 7:00 PM, in the presence of the artist and Cultural Commissioner Anton Biebl, featuring several speakers, including Dr. Hélène Gleitman, the Chairwoman of TAMAD e.V., in the Rathausgalerie in the courtyard of the New Town Hall at Marienplatz.
"NEVER AGAIN" is made possible through the comprehensive support of the Cultural Department of the City of Munich / Public Art Munich.
www.neveragainisnow.de
