In 2024, a forgotten 16mm print of Man and Mask: Oskar Schlemmer and the Bauhaus Stage (1969) resurfaced at the Goethe-Institut Toronto. The aging film, an interpretation of Schlemmer’s Bauhaus choreographies from the 1920s, had deteriorated over time, bathing the dances in vibrant pink and magenta hues. Curator Jutta Brendemühl invited Toronto artist and filmmaker Oliver Husain, who first screened at the Goethe in 2006, to transform this striking material into a contemporary artwork.

The result is Pink Schlemmer (2025), a 12-minute digital film and reel installation. Husain, working with dancer Tanveer Alam, sound designer Matt Smith, costume designer Laura Honsberger, and mask creator Tim Manalo, turns the film’s accidental colors into a deliberate artistic intervention. The work reimagines Schlemmer’s radical Triadic Ballet, exploring queer perspectives, global Bauhaus connections—including India—and the interplay of personal and collective memory in performance and visual arts. As Schlemmer himself wrote: “Art should not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible.”

About the Artist

Oliver Husain is a Toronto-based artist and filmmaker whose collaborative works often begin with a fragment of history, a rumor, or a memory. His projects combine dance, puppetry, costume, and experimental cinematic techniques, and have been featured at TIFF, Berlinale, Experimenta Bangalore, ICA Los Angeles, and Remai Modern Saskatoon. He has collaborated extensively with the Goethe-Institut, fostering cultural dialogue between German, Canadian, and South Asian artistic traditions.

Exhibition Dates: September 12 – October 17, 2025

Free Opening Reception: September 11, 5:30–7 pm → Register here

Location: Goethe-Institut, Toronto