Michaela Melián Exhibition 'Echo' Reexamines Colonial History of Mann Family in Lübeck

Artist Michaela Melián has created an exhibition titled 'Echo' for the Overbeck-Gesellschaft in Lübeck, presented at St. Petri Church and the society's spaces. The installation explores the colonial background of the Mann family through Julia Mann, mother of writers Thomas and Heinrich Mann, who was born on a Brazilian plantation in 1851. The show incorporates sound, sculpture, textiles, and drawings, featuring a fragmented Brazilian lullaby Julia learned from an enslaved woman. It highlights global connections behind Lübeck's bourgeois facade and addresses colonial violence. The exhibition opened in 2026.