Present and Reflexion – VI. MKH-Biennale Halberstadt 2026

For PRESENT AND REFLECTION // FILMED CONVERSATIONS, a large-scale video installation about the exhibiting artists, he organized the lighting, filmed the project and edited the footage.
He was behind his camera during gatherings with her family and artists from her circle of friends. As unobtrusively as possible, he followed the conversations that unfolded and was able to capture sensitive moments and intimate exchanges on film.
It made sense to set these conversations up in a more traditional interview format within the artists’ respective studios.
This had the advantage of allowing for more careful lighting of the subjects and the artworks, as well as better sound recordings. The atmosphere of the studios was to be captured, and the artworks for the VI. MKH-Biennale were to be visible in the background whenever possible.
The artist portraits filmed by Mirko Beutler provide the public with valuable information and insights into the various biographies, ranging from memories of the pre-reunification era to the present day. Leukefeld and Beutler chose a camera angle that establishes a direct connection with the audience.
He worked with two cameras to capture the appropriate variations in the different artists’ perspectives and their personal stories during the film’s editing process. Mirko Beutler filmed using a Sony FX9 as the main camera. Initially, he used a Canon XC10 as the second camera, and later switched to a Sony 6300. He edited the raw interview footage using the Final Cut Pro X editing software.
The collaborative work, PRESENT AND REFLECTION // FILMED CONVERSATIONS, will be on view at the VI. MKH- Biennale on multiple monitors, with headphones provided, inside the main building of the Martini Church.

Less

In 1968, he was briefly expelled for participating in a protest against the demolition of the University Church in Leipzig. In 1969, the city of Halberstadt offered students from the Burg a new working environment for planned new development areas, and so in 1970, Peter Hinz, together with four other graduates and employees of the Burg, founded the Pfeffermühle Community.
Ceramics studios were set up, and he shared a metal workshop with Klaus Herre, but there was very little paid work in the early years. Starting in 1971, he worked—along with colleagues from the Pfeffermühle—to promote contemporary art in Halberstadt. Art exhibitions were also organized in Magdeburg, Erfurt, Berlin, and Frankfurt an der Oder.

In 1973, he was admitted to the Association of Visual Artists of the GDR. Without membership in that association—or admission to the Chamber of Crafts—securing commissions was virtually impossible for freelancers in the GDR. Hinz was critical and committed. To combine his artistic pursuits with his church involvement, an opportunity arose in 1983 to exhibit high-quality jazz concerts—organized on a volunteer basis every year during the summer months at St. Martini Church—as well as contemporary art—sculpture, large-scale textiles, paintings, objects, and photography exhibitions—in the sacred space. The concept of the »open church« provided the framework for this initiative.
Until the end of September 1985, Hinz was unaffiliated with any political party. He then became a founding member of the »Neues Forum« in Halberstadt, and his involvement in local politics remained a defining aspect of his life.
In 1988, Hinz received an art award from the Magdeburg District Council, and in 1989—the year the border opened— he organized a photography exhibition on the theme »Du sollst nicht Töten!« (»Thou Shalt Not Kill!«), which reflected on the 50th anniversary of the start of World War II. From October 1989 to May 1990, he served as a representative of the »Neues Forum« at the »Round Table« in Halberstadt, and following a unanimous vote, he was elected president of the city council from 1990 to 1999. Peter Hinz was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit on Ribbon in 1991 for his social commitment, and in 2001 he was honored with honorary citizenship of the city of Halberstadt. His work as president of the city council left him little time for his artistic pursuits.
Peter Hinz fell seriously ill in 2001 and passed away in Halberstadt in 2007; the Mill-Community dissolved in 2004. Johann-Peter Hinz’s life was one of constant change; his works, his political and social activism, and his very person are deeply connected to the city of Halberstadt and the history of the Pfeffermühle Community. Many of his works are held in private and public collections in the city of Halberstadt, the art collection of the Unser Lieben Frauen Monastery in Magdeburg, the Moritzburg Art Museum Foundation in Halle (Saale), and in the city of Magdeburg. Posthumously, »Johann-Peter Hinz Straße« in Halberstadt was named in his honor.
During the VI. MKH-Biennale two small sculptures made by Peter Hinz will be shown, that have never been presented in Halberstadt before.

(The content is based on Johann-Peter Hinz’s autobiographical résumé, written in 1990)

Less