It all started with a concert on June 29, 1996 – Elbhangfest, Dresden, Germany.
This concert, organized by Holger John, a Dresden artist with whom Rammstein and Till would later collaborate on numerous occasions, was recalled by Flake in his book "Today is the Birthday of the World" as a "fiery spectacle." Unfortunately, there are no photographs from this performance; Rammstein performed in long black robes and masks, like in the old French film about Fantômas. Their performance of the song "Azzurro," performed by Adriano Celentano and the band Toten Hosen, ended, as often happened, in a fire and a shock for the organizers.
Holger John knew Christian Lorenz and Paul Landers even before the formation of Rammstein, from the punk and artistic scenes in Prenzlauer Berg in the 80s.
John has organised events for the band, such as the 2005 Rammstein Music Awards gala at Berlin's Olympic Stadium and the unusual Rammstein hearse and mausoleum procession in 2011, while the band members' death masks have been permanently displayed at his art gallery in Dresden.
"On stage, Till Lindemann plays the leader, the figurehead of Rammstein. Behind this facade lies a highly intellectual, sophisticated, and incredibly inspiring artist," John says of Till's work as an artist and poet, and as a testament to his respect, he organizes Till Lindemann exhibitions at his gallery. Everything would be wonderful, but today I came across an article about an attempt to disrupt John's latest exhibition and the reason for it.
Students at the Dresden Academy of Arts allegedly accused John of having a reputation among students and alumni for behaving inappropriately toward women at exhibition openings. "Does the exhibition and Holger John's personal presence cause discomfort, especially among female students?" "The protest was already evident at the opening on April 30th: photographs were on display showing John with Rammstein vocalist Till Lindemann. The photographs were taken at the exhibition opening in 2013. Lindemann was exhibiting at the Holger John Gallery at the time." writes dresden.t-online.de
They also criticize John for continuing to wear Rammstein merchandise on Instagram and using the band's music in his posts.
All the accusations are anonymous and without any evidence. The academy's management exercised discretion and filed a police report against these "morality activists."
The exhibition took place, but a bitter taste remains.😥😡
