gezeichnete Figuren mit Megafonen in der Hand laufen vor einem grauen Hintergrund
© William Kentridge, 2025

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

William Kentridge (*1955, Johannesburg) is one of the world’s most influential contemporary artists. His medium is drawing. It forms the creative basis for animated films, prints, collages, sculptures, tapestries, kinetic objects, and puppet theatre plays, resulting in an impressive and diverse body of works. This year, he celebrated his 70th birthday – prompting the Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden to organise a major exhibition festival in honour of this South African artist.

Video

Privacy notice

When you play our YouTube or Vimeo videos, information about your use of YouTube or Vimeo is transmitted to the US operator and may be stored. In addition, external media such as videos or fonts are loaded and stored in your browser.

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo | Trailer

Ausgangspunkt

Kentridge came to international prominence in the late 1980s for his animated short films dealing with the South African apartheid regime. These films, which are based on large-format charcoal drawings, form the starting point for an extensive and diverse body of works that encompasses drawing, printmaking, sculpture, and tapestry, as well as opera productions and multimedia stage plays. The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden will be presenting Kentridge’s work in several locations at the same time.

Im Residenzschloss

At the Residenzschloss, the Kupferstich-Kabinett is showcasing the versatility of his printmaking oeuvre. This medium powerfully expresses Kentridge’s innate interest in creative processes and collaboration. Whether on a huge or a small scale, the woodcuts and etchings are made using radically experimental techniques and address the issue of social and individual change. They focus on the theme of procession and the ambivalence of triumph and lament. Prints from the museum’s collection complement the presentation and broaden perspectives on the subject in relation to both history and the present day.

schwarz-weiße Zeichnung mit drei schreitenden Figuren
© Kupferstich-Kabinett, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, und William Kentridge
William Kentridge, Mantegna, 2016
Exhibition of the Kupferstich-Kabinett at Residenzschloss
06/09/2025—15/02/2026

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

Read more
© William Kentridge, Courtesy Item Editions, Paris, Foto: Nicolas Brasseur

Im Albertinum

Saxon margraves, electors, and kings await Kentridge at the Albertinum. Mounted on horseback, accompanied by a few subjects, they form the Dresden “Procession of the Princes”. In the exhibition, they encounter a procession of shadowy human forms in the cinematic installation titled “More Sweetly Play the Dance” (2015), in which the figures move through a barren landscape guided by the lively sounds of a brass band. A second film, “Oh to Believe in Another World” (2022), addresses the limited durability of utopias. Drawing directly on the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, Kentridge has created a fictional collage of images that closely illustrates the rise and fall of the Russian avant-garde during four decades of Soviet rule, revealing the fragile relationship between power and art.

William Kentridge, scene from "Oh To Believe in Another World", 2022
© William Kentridge, 2025
William Kentridge, scene from "Oh To Believe in Another World", 2022
Exhibition at the Albertinum
06/09/2025—04/01/2026

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

Read more
© William Kentridge, 2025

In der Puppentheatersammlung

For almost an entire year, the Puppentheatersammlung in Dresden’s Kraftwerk Mitte is hosting The Centre for the Less Good Idea, which was founded by Kentridge and Bronwyn Lace in Johannesburg. In experimental and interdisciplinary works, the collection’s puppets will be brought to life. New sound and video installations are displayed alongside, or incorporating, historical museum pieces – for example, from the collection’s shadow theatre section. Works by Kentridge as a puppet theatre director and creator of animated objects are also on show.

drei Männer halten Puppen in die Luft
© The Centre for the Less Good Idea, Foto: Zivanai Matangi
Workshop im Centre for the Less Good Idea
Exhibition of the Puppentheatersammlung at the Kraftwerk Mitte
06/09/2025—28/06/2026

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

Read more
© The Centre for the Less Good Idea, Foto: Zivanai Matangi

Tickets

Ticket valid for the special exhibition “William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo” (06.09.2025—04.01.2026) at the Albertinum

Further tickets (e.g. combined tickets with the exhibition at the Kupferstich-Kabinett and the Puppentheatersammlung) can be found in our ticket shop.

normal14 €
reduced10,50 €
under 17free

Ticket valid for: Special exhibition "William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo" (06.09.2025—15.02.2026) at the Kupferstich-Kabinett

Combined Ticket for all 3 exhibitions can be purchased in our online shop.

normal6 €
reduced4,50 €
under 17free

Ticket valid for: Special exhibition “William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo” (06.09.2025—28.06.2026) at the Puppentheatersammlung

Combined Ticket for all 3 exhibitions can be purchased in our ticket shop.

normal7 €
reduced5 €
under 17free

Program

Katalog

publication accompanying the exhibition

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

edited by: Museum Folkwang Essen and Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden, 272 pages, ISBN 978-3-96999-476-4, publication date 26.09.2025, price: 38 €

William Kentridge. Listen to the Echo

Sponsors

partners

cooperation partner
Das Logo von arte in orangefarbenen Buchstaben auf einem weißen Hintergrund
media partner
cooperation partner Foot Power

sponsors

Weißer Schriftzug "Kulturstiftung des Bundes" auf schwarzem Hintergrund
Schwarzer Schriftzug "Freunde der Staatlichen Kunstsammlungen Dresden e.V."

sponsors

Logo von SachsenEnergie

weitere

Further Exhibitions

Kupferstich-Kabinett

in Residenzschloss

Portrait eines Mannes mit Hut und Vollbart

Puppentheatersammlung

in Kraftwerk Mitte

[Translate to English:]

Porzellansammlung

in Zwinger

Teekanne aus Porzellan

We are using cookies!

You can revoke your consent at any time.

The Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden uses cookies to provide you with an optimal website experience. These primarily include cookies that are necessary for the operation of the website.

Click on "Accept all" to accept all cookies. You can change and revoke your consent at any time. For this purpose, the "Change cookie settings" button is available at the bottom of the page. Functional cookies will continue to be executed even without your consent.

If you would like to adjust the cookies used, you can reach the settings via the "Select" button.

You can find more information under Privacy or Imprint.

To top