Center For Art and Media Karlsruhe - Archives and Collections

Archives and Collections

The ZKM Collection was founded by the ZKM’s first director, Heinrich Klotz, at the beginning of the 1990s and has been augmented ever since. It is sub-divided into the collections: the Museum of Contemporary Art and the Media Museum collections, the Video and Audio collections as well as several archives. The collection is based on a specific approach to various artistic genre and media: whereas painting and sculpture were hermetically sealed off from new influences of video art and photography which were gradually establishing themselves, the ZKM’s collecting activity is marked by the transcendence of such traditional genre borders.

While the Museum of Contemporary Art collection embraced works of art from all genre from the outset, the Media Museum collection initially contained only works of interactive media most of which were produced in-house. Over 500 international guest artists produced a vast number of works, which then became part of the ZKM Collection after being initially presented in Karlsruhe. Consequently, the ZKM disposes over one of the largest collections of media art extending back to the beginning of video art, electronic installation and holography. To these also belong the collection of approx. 1.200 art videos and 13.800 audio tracks, which are not stored in the museum but are accessible in the ZKM | Media Library. They may also be found on Dieter Mankau’s four listening chairs and, for the most part, can be researched via the Internet.

The Video Collection was constructed as the first of its kind in Germany and increased the public awareness of video as an independent art form. The collection encompasses works of video art ranging from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, among others, the video magazine “Infermental”. Through the Laboratory for Antiquated Video Systems, which is connected to the Media Library it has been possible to rescue comprehensive video collections in Europe and the USA from decomposition, and make them accessible to the public.

The Audio Collection comprises the titles of contemporary music with an emphasis on electro-acoustic music. In addition to audio recordings, the collection includes scores, specialist publications, historical photography and posters. Especial importance is attributed to the International Digital Electro-acoustic Music Archive (IDEAMA), which includes pieces of electro-acoustic music from its inception through to the present.

In addition to works of video art and electronic music, the ZKM collects archives and documents on the electronic arts, such as on video art, electro-acoustic music, computer art and inter-medial forms. It provides researchers with insight and an understanding for the artistic developments of the foregoing 50 years.

The common ZKM Library shared with the Karlsruhe University of Arts and Design (HfG) comprises approx. 53.000 books, journals and digital storage media. Thematically, its inventory concentrates on twentieth and twenty-first century art and, above all, on media art, architecture, design, media theory, film, photography and electro-acoustic music. All the library’s inventories may be researched on the Internet.