The German sculptor Arno Breker, one of the most prominent artists during the so-called “Third Reich”, created a statue in 1939 entitled “Bereitschaft” (Readiness). It depicts a muscular male body, a warrior drawing a sword, intended to symbolise the German people’s readiness for battle. The statue became a TikTok sensation in 2023, when it trended as the ideal male body image and a symbol of the self-discipline on display in gyms.
In their almost four-metre high video sculpture and the accompanying photographic series Jakob Ganslmeier and Ana Zibelnik examine this glorification of the sculpted male physique as well as its fascist undertones. The projekt illustrates how the radical pursuit of physical perfection goes hand in hand with reactionary tendencies, misogyny and a fascination for militarisation. Even though much of the content available on TikTok appears harmless at first glance, “
Concept & video: Jakob Ganslmeier & Ana Zibelnik
Co-produced by: Paradox
Motion Design: Studio RNDR
Sound: Daniel Hermann-Collini
Co-operation: Museum Zwangsarbeit im Nationalsozialismus, Kunstfest Weimar 2025
Funding: Bundesbeauftragter für Kultur und Medien, Königreich der Niederlande & Siemens Arts Program
About the artists:
Jakob Ganslmeier (born in Munich in 1990) and Ana Zibelnik (born in Ljubljana in 1995) are an artist duo from The Hague (NL), whose photography and video projects examine identity formation in adolescence under the influence of extremist ideologies. They are interested in how visual art can counter radical political narratives and raise awareness of social issues. Their work has been exhibited in the FOAM Photography Museum in Amsterdam, The Hague Museum of Photography, The Finnish Museum of Photography, The International Centre for the Image Ireland, and the Museum of Modern Art in Ljubljana, among other places.
Accompanying program
Awareness workshop
For groups of young people and adults
Duration: 90–120 minutes
This participatory workshop raises awareness of the spread of certain role models and misanthropic messages through memes on social media.
Short video workshop
For groups of young people and adults
Duration: 6 hours
This creative workshop (including lunch break) raises awareness of gender roles and Nazi symbolism in pop culture on social media. Participants creatively engage with the analyzed content and coping strategies in short videos they create themselves.
training course for teachers
On August 28, 2025, 1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Meme culture, images of masculinity, misanthropy: Educational approaches to dealing with potential radicalization on the internet.
Offered in cooperation with the Thuringian Institute for Teacher Training, Curriculum Development, and Media (ThILLM).
Künstlerisch forschende Strategien zur De-Radikalisierung auf Social Media
Für Studierende der Bauhaus-Universität (Lehrveranstaltung) und weitere Interessierte
Zeitraum: 02. - 07. September 2025
Workshop in Kooperation mit Caspar Weimann/onlinetheater.live und Jun. Prof. Dr. Jasmin Degeling/Bauhaus Universität Weimar
