Doppelausstelung
Vernissage am 4. August 19 Uhr
Vernissage am 4. August 19 Uhr
Deeply Rooted
Artist Statement by Astrid Scheuermann
Deeply Rooted is a documentary photography project about the Sorbian minority in Germany during a crucial period of its history: the structural change brought about by the closure of lignite open cast mines by 2038. During this period, important decisions will be made that will affect the cultural preservation of this minority’s language and traditions.
For over two years, I have been documenting Sorbian people and their efforts to keep their culture alive. The Sorbian minority is one of four of ficial minorities in Germany. They are a West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting one of the country’s most intensive lignite mining regions:
Lusatia, located between the German federal states Brandenburg and Saxony. In the last 50 years, 136 towns have disappeared as the land was needed to expand the mines.
As a response to this identity crisis, Sorbians are creating opportunities to preserve their heritage, such as language revitalisation. Being a Sorbian nowadays means belonging to a minority that is proud of their traditions and that has withstood gruesome events during its history, such as assimilation attempts during the Nazi regime and the intensifed lignite mining during the Communist rule. However, their spirit remains indestructible. In the words of the Sorbian poet Jakub Bart-Ćišinski: “our land is small, and small is our people, an island washed by the sea, but the waves will never over flow it.”
ABOUT
Astrid Scheuermann (Panama City, 1993) is photographer and filmmaker based in Berlin. She has a BA in journalism and an MA in Film and Photography. Astrid’s short documentary film “1989”competed in several film festivals around the globe, earning prizes at three festivals. Her photographic and filmmaking practice is centered around major topics such as cultural diversity, identity, collective memory and resilience.
Website:
https://www.astridscheuermann.com/
IG:
https://www.instagram.com/spiegeleyetravel/
HEADLESS LOVE AND THE RED SHOES
Artist Statement by Anette Monbjerg
The work “HEADLESS LOVE AND THE RED SHOES” (2013) deals with the subject of alienation.
Monbjerg writes about the work: “I was living and working in London in 2005. One morning I woke up by a message from a colleague. There had been a bombing at a nearby station from where I was living. Going to work the next day, I found the streets normally filled with people and noise, empty and quiet, except for armed policemen. Later on in 2013, I came across a cellar with concrete walls at the university I was attending and ideas for this series started developing.”
ABOUT
Anette Monbjerg was born in Horsens, Denmark. She is a Danish autodidact who works with photography and mixed media. Monbjerg creates work in which a fascination with the human experience comes into play. There is a firm attitude towards the conceptual and minimal. Rather than presenting factual reality, illusion is created to initiate our imagination. Within the minimalistic approach, she creates works with subtle details of the odd or eccentric, occasionally with humorous elements. In her photography, reflections are drawn from the art of photography itself, often self-referential.
Website:
https://www.anettemonbjerg.com/
IG:
https://www.instagram.com/anettemonbjergstudio/
Artist Statement by Astrid Scheuermann
Deeply Rooted is a documentary photography project about the Sorbian minority in Germany during a crucial period of its history: the structural change brought about by the closure of lignite open cast mines by 2038. During this period, important decisions will be made that will affect the cultural preservation of this minority’s language and traditions.
For over two years, I have been documenting Sorbian people and their efforts to keep their culture alive. The Sorbian minority is one of four of ficial minorities in Germany. They are a West Slavic ethnic group predominantly inhabiting one of the country’s most intensive lignite mining regions:
Lusatia, located between the German federal states Brandenburg and Saxony. In the last 50 years, 136 towns have disappeared as the land was needed to expand the mines.
As a response to this identity crisis, Sorbians are creating opportunities to preserve their heritage, such as language revitalisation. Being a Sorbian nowadays means belonging to a minority that is proud of their traditions and that has withstood gruesome events during its history, such as assimilation attempts during the Nazi regime and the intensifed lignite mining during the Communist rule. However, their spirit remains indestructible. In the words of the Sorbian poet Jakub Bart-Ćišinski: “our land is small, and small is our people, an island washed by the sea, but the waves will never over flow it.”
ABOUT
Astrid Scheuermann (Panama City, 1993) is photographer and filmmaker based in Berlin. She has a BA in journalism and an MA in Film and Photography. Astrid’s short documentary film “1989”competed in several film festivals around the globe, earning prizes at three festivals. Her photographic and filmmaking practice is centered around major topics such as cultural diversity, identity, collective memory and resilience.
Website:
https://www.astridscheuermann.com/
IG:
https://www.instagram.com/spiegeleyetravel/
HEADLESS LOVE AND THE RED SHOES
Artist Statement by Anette Monbjerg
The work “HEADLESS LOVE AND THE RED SHOES” (2013) deals with the subject of alienation.
Monbjerg writes about the work: “I was living and working in London in 2005. One morning I woke up by a message from a colleague. There had been a bombing at a nearby station from where I was living. Going to work the next day, I found the streets normally filled with people and noise, empty and quiet, except for armed policemen. Later on in 2013, I came across a cellar with concrete walls at the university I was attending and ideas for this series started developing.”
ABOUT
Anette Monbjerg was born in Horsens, Denmark. She is a Danish autodidact who works with photography and mixed media. Monbjerg creates work in which a fascination with the human experience comes into play. There is a firm attitude towards the conceptual and minimal. Rather than presenting factual reality, illusion is created to initiate our imagination. Within the minimalistic approach, she creates works with subtle details of the odd or eccentric, occasionally with humorous elements. In her photography, reflections are drawn from the art of photography itself, often self-referential.
Website:
https://www.anettemonbjerg.com/
IG:
https://www.instagram.com/anettemonbjergstudio/
