barely anything goes

Geniale Dilletanten — Subkultur der 1980er-jahre in Deutschland Geniale Dilletanten was the term used to announce a concert held in Berlin’s Tempodrom in 1981. The deliberately misspelled title has become synonymous with the brief era of artistic upheaval in Germany between 1979 and ’84. Developed particularly in and around art schools, strong subculture scenes formed in many German cities. With their use of brute noise, provocative Super 8 films, cheap photocopied fanzines, independently produced samples, design that challenged “good taste,” and a new, wild language for figurative painting and sculpture, these artists opposed the prevailing zeitgeist in Germany. Emphasis was placed on expression rather than technical perfection, artistic impact rather than skill. These players probed the possibilities of total opposition with the same vehemence they directed against official policy and the legacy of the ’68 generation. Loud protests and deliberate provocation helped this alternative