Special exhibition to honour world renowned poet Ernst Jandl on his 100th birth anniversary
Pune: Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Pune in collaboration with German Department of Savitribai Phule Pune University is set to organise a special exhibition to celebrate the life and work of Ernst Jandl on his 100th birth anniversary year. The exhibition is being organised at ‘The Box Studio’, Pandurang Colony, off Karve Road, Erandwane from 19th August to 22nd August 2025 ( 10m -7 pm ). It will be inaugurated on Monday, 18th August 2025 at the hands of Dr. Bernhard Fetz, director of Literature Archive Vienna, Austria, at 4.00 pm .
The Austrian writer Ernst Jandl, a leading figure in the German-speaking world’s concrete poetry movement, was known for his experimental poetry. He wrote Concrete Poetry, in which language itself is the purpose and subject of the poem, Visual Poetry, in which the visual representation of the text takes centre stage, Sound poems that only reveal their content when spoken. Such is the magic and diversity of his poems. To bring to life for the people of Pune, the exhibition will be in a multisensory format and in English and Marathi apart from German.
Alicia Padros, Head of Language Department and Deputy Director, Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan Pune said that the exhibition explores Jandl’s ground breaking use of sound, structure, and space which would be brought forth in front the people through interesting mix of 3D installations, soundscapes, visual projections and artistic interpretations,. This initiative is a part of the Goethe-Institut’s ongoing efforts to promote German as a foreign language and to celebrate the culture of the German speaking countries in innovative and engaging ways.
Visitors are invited to experience poetry beyond the page—to see, hear and feel the inventive creativity of Ernst Jandl. His poems challenge conventional reading and reward audiences with layered, multisensory experiences of language.
Dr. Bernhard Fetz, director of Literature Archive Vienna will be conducting two workshops on the topic Ernst Jandl: One for teachers and one for students.
