Gabriele Stötzer's Retrospective at Gropius Bau: Art as Resistance in the GDR

The exhibition 'Gabriele Stötzer Dabei: sein und nicht schweigen' (Showing Up and Not Remaining Silent) is currently on display at the Gropius Bau in Berlin until 6 December 2026. It showcases approximately 150 pieces by German artist Gabriele Stötzer, whose work reflects her experiences of censorship and imprisonment in the GDR. Stötzer attracted the attention of the Stasi in 1976 after signing a petition opposing the expatriation of Wolf Biermann, which resulted in a year-long prison sentence for 'state defamation.' Following the fall of the GDR, she produced the short film 'Zelle 5' (1990) in the Stasi's Erfurt prison. The exhibition features her Super 8 films from the 1980s, various 'scribbles,' significant pieces like 'Trans sitzend' (1984–85), along with her artist's books and samizdat publications.